OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

43.19°N, 8.47°WEurope/Madrid
Daylight+13.4°
18:14:29
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 10m of true darkness · 13h 20m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset19:38
Civil Dusk20:07
Nautical20:40
Full Dark21:13
Nadir02:18
Dark Ends07:23
Nautical07:56
Civil Dawn08:29
Sunrise08:58
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 Spica Antares Deneb Venus (-4.3) Mercury (0.4) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE0.6°
DISTANCE380,370 km
Moonrise18:08
Moonset06:54
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX1% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
41/100
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♀ Rising / Setting -4.37.4°237°Libra09:2214:1219:03Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-10.9°303°Leo03:0810:0917:07Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Below Horizon 0.3-7.8°80°Pisces18:5701:0407:16Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-13.1°311°Cancer02:1909:3516:48Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Visible Low 0.416.3°218°Libra10:5715:3620:15Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-21.6°24°Taurus21:0904:3512:06Binoculars
Neptune♆ Below Horizon 7.8-3.6°87°Pisces18:3400:3506:39Telescope
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
RISES18:08
BEST TIME00:25S · 49° high
SETS06:54
Reaches about 49° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES03:08
BEST TIME10:09S · 61° high
SETS17:07
Reaches about 61° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES18:57
BEST TIME01:04S · 48° high
SETS07:16
Reaches about 48° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES09:22
BEST TIME14:12S · 29° high
SETS19:03
Reaches about 29° 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 TIME09:35S · 65° high
SETS16:48
Reaches about 65° 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.