OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

28.12°N, 15.52°WAtlantic/Canary

Daylight+20.9°

17:40:46

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 5m of true darkness · 12h 43m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:25

Civil Dusk19:48

Nautical20:16

Full Dark20:43

Nadir01:46

Dark Ends06:49

Nautical07:16

Civil Dawn07:44

Sunrise08:08

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE-0.1°

DISTANCE380,271 km

Moonrise17:40

Moonset06:16

HorizonBelow

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX0% · Minimal Lunar Glare

Sky background remains dark; faint nebulae and distant galaxies are distinct.

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 Atlantic/Canary

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Visible Low	-4.3	15.7°	239°	Libra	08:19	13:40	19:01	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-18.3°	299°	Leo	03:01	09:37	16:11	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Below Horizon	0.3	-10.5°	82°	Pisces	18:28	00:32	06:41	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-22.4°	307°	Cancer	02:19	09:03	15:45	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Visible Low	0.4	28.1°	222°	Libra	09:49	15:04	20:19	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-35.4°	28°	Taurus	21:15	04:04	10:57	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Below Horizon	7.8	-4.7°	88°	Pisces	18:02	00:03	06:07	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

RISES17:40

BEST TIME23:54S · 65° high

SETS06:16

Reaches about 65° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES03:01

BEST TIME09:37S · 76° high

SETS16:11

Reaches about 76° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES18:28

BEST TIME00:32S · 63° high

SETS06:41

Reaches about 63° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Good height

RISES08:19

BEST TIME13:40S · 44° high

SETS19:01

Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:19

BEST TIME09:03S · 80° high

SETS15:45

Reaches about 80° 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.