OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

40.71°N, 6.14°WEurope/Madrid

Nautical Twilight-7.3° (−6° to −12°)

20:11:02

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 10m of true darkness · 13h 13m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:32

Civil Dusk20:00

Nautical20:32

Full Dark21:04

Nadir02:09

Dark Ends07:13

Nautical07:45

Civil Dawn08:17

Sunrise08:45

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE23.4°

DISTANCE379,933 km

Moonrise17:59

Moonset06:43

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX37% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

59/100

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 Europe/Madrid

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-12.8°	258°	Libra	09:06	14:03	19:00	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-29.0°	330°	Leo	03:03	10:00	16:53	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	15.1°	101°	Pisces	18:48	00:55	07:02	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-28.5°	340°	Cancer	02:16	09:25	16:33	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Rising / Setting	0.4	0.3°	242°	Libra	10:41	15:27	20:13	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-8.9°	51°	Taurus	21:07	04:26	11:49	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	19.3°	108°	Pisces	18:25	00:25	06:26	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

RISES17:59

BEST TIME00:15S · 52° high

SETS06:43

Reaches about 52° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES03:03

BEST TIME10:00S · 64° high

SETS16:53

Reaches about 64° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES18:48

BEST TIME00:55S · 51° high

SETS07:02

Reaches about 51° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Good height

RISES09:06

BEST TIME14:03S · 31° high

SETS19:00

Reaches about 31° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:16

BEST TIME09:25S · 67° high

SETS16:33

Reaches about 67° 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.