OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

14.77°N, 17.06°WAfrica/Dakar

Civil Twilight-1.4° (0° to −6°)

18:48:55

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 54m of true darkness · 12h 18m total night

DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:43

Civil Dusk19:05

Nautical19:30

Full Dark19:55

Nadir00:52

Dark Ends05:49

Nautical06:14

Civil Dawn06:39

Sunrise07:01

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE27.7°

DISTANCE379,792 km

Moonrise16:48

Moonset05:16

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX43% · Moderate Lunar Glow

Milky Way contrast is softened. Bright open clusters and double stars are optimal.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

42/100

Fair Stargazing

Partial haze or lunar wash. Bright clusters, double stars, and prominent planets remain well visible.

CLOUD COVER15%

HUMIDITY50%

VISIBILITY18 km

DEW POINT10.8°C

PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

All times calibrated to Africa/Dakar

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-4.8°	253°	Libra	07:05	12:46	18:28	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-49.2°	315°	Leo	02:23	08:44	15:01	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	17.1°	93°	Pisces	17:36	23:38	05:41	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-51.6°	328°	Cancer	01:46	08:09	14:30	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Visible Low	0.4	12.9°	244°	Libra	08:32	14:10	19:49	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-25.3°	57°	Taurus	20:45	03:10	09:38	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	23.8°	97°	Pisces	17:08	23:09	05:10	Telescope

TONIGHT'S VIEWING SCHEDULE

When & Where to Look Tonight

A simple guide to when each object is above your horizon. No astronomy chart reading required.

BEST TIMEHighest in your sky

The MoonNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES16:48

BEST TIME23:00S · 78° high

SETS05:16

Reaches about 78° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:23

BEST TIME08:44S · 90° high

SETS15:01

Reaches about 90° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES17:36

BEST TIME23:38S · 77° high

SETS05:41

Reaches about 77° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES07:05

BEST TIME12:46S · 57° high

SETS18:28

Reaches about 57° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:46

BEST TIME08:09N · 87° high

SETS14:30

Reaches about 87° above the horizon at its highest point.Distinctive crimson hue; polar ice cap discernible near opposition.

OBSERVING LOG & TARGET LIST

Tonight's Prime Deep-Sky Targets

0 / 6 targets logged tonight

M31 / NGC 224 · Andromeda

Andromeda Galaxy

Spiral Galaxy (2.5M ly)

Our galactic neighbor; visible as a ghostly oval smudge with dense radiant stellar core.

M45 · Taurus

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters)

Open Star Cluster

Breathtaking blue diamond cluster enshrouded in delicate interstellar reflection nebulosity.

M42 / NGC 1976 · Orion

Great Orion Nebula

Diffuse Emission Nebula

Star nursery harboring the brilliant Trapezium cluster with sprawling bat-wing filaments.

NGC 869 & NGC 884 · Perseus

The Double Cluster

Twin Open Clusters

Pair of spectacular shimmering jewel-boxes bursting with ruby supergiant stars.

M13 / NGC 6205 · Hercules

Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

Globular Cluster (300k stars)

Massive beehive of ancient stars packed tightly together into a blazing central ball.

M57 / NGC 6720 · Lyra

The Ring Nebula

Planetary Nebula

Delicate glowing smoke-ring left behind by a dying star 2,500 light-years away.