OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

41.34°N, 4.43°WEurope/Madrid

Nautical Twilight-6.7° (−6° to −12°)

20:00:25

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 10m of true darkness · 13h 15m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:25

Civil Dusk19:53

Nautical20:25

Full Dark20:57

Nadir02:02

Dark Ends07:07

Nautical07:39

Civil Dawn08:11

Sunrise08:39

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE22.5°

DISTANCE379,973 km

Moonrise17:52

Moonset06:36

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX35% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

60/100

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	-12.2°	257°	Libra	09:01	13:56	18:51	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-28.1°	329°	Leo	02:55	09:53	16:48	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	14.2°	101°	Pisces	18:41	00:48	06:55	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-27.6°	339°	Cancer	02:08	09:18	16:27	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Rising / Setting	0.4	0.6°	241°	Libra	10:36	15:20	20:04	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-9.1°	51°	Taurus	20:58	04:19	11:44	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	18.4°	108°	Pisces	18:18	00:18	06:19	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

RISES17:52

BEST TIME00:08S · 51° high

SETS06:36

Reaches about 51° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:55

BEST TIME09:53S · 63° high

SETS16:48

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

RISES18:41

BEST TIME00:48S · 50° high

SETS06:55

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

RISES09:01

BEST TIME13:56S · 31° high

SETS18:51

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

RISES02:08

BEST TIME09:18S · 67° high

SETS16:27

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.