OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

41.83°N, 0.20°EEurope/Madrid
Nautical Twilight-8.4° (−6° to −12°)
19:50:33
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 10m of true darkness · 13h 16m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset19:05
Civil Dusk19:34
Nautical20:06
Full Dark20:38
Nadir01:43
Dark Ends06:48
Nautical07:20
Civil Dawn07:53
Sunrise08:21
LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION
SunsetSunrise
LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry
30° ALT60° ALTZENITHNESW Polaris Vega Arcturus Capella Altair Antares Deneb Saturn (0.3) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE23.9°
DISTANCE380,010 km
Moonrise17:33
Moonset06:17
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

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-13.9°259°Libra08:4413:3718:32Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-28.5°331°Leo02:3609:3516:30Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.315.7°103°Pisces18:2300:3006:37Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-27.7°341°Cancer01:4809:0016:10Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-0.9°243°Libra10:1915:0119:44Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-7.5°52°Taurus20:3804:0111:27Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.819.8°109°Pisces17:5900:0006:01Telescope
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
RISES17:33
BEST TIME23:49S · 51° high
SETS06:17
Reaches about 51° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:36
BEST TIME09:35S · 63° high
SETS16:30
Reaches about 63° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES18:23
BEST TIME00:30S · 50° high
SETS06:37
Reaches about 50° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:44
BEST TIME13:37S · 30° high
SETS18:32
Reaches about 30° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:48
BEST TIME09:00S · 66° high
SETS16:10
Reaches about 66° 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

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.