OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

40.07°N, 2.13°WEurope/Madrid

Civil Twilight-1.3° (0° to −6°)

19:23:45

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 10m of true darkness · 13h 11m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:17

Civil Dusk19:45

Nautical20:16

Full Dark20:48

Nadir01:53

Dark Ends06:57

Nautical07:29

Civil Dawn08:00

Sunrise08:28

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE18.0°

DISTANCE380,110 km

Moonrise17:43

Moonset06:26

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX29% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

47/100

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	-6.8°	253°	Libra	08:49	13:47	18:45	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-26.2°	322°	Leo	02:49	09:44	16:36	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Rising / Setting	0.3	9.3°	96°	Pisces	18:32	00:39	06:46	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-26.6°	332°	Cancer	02:02	09:09	16:15	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Rising / Setting	0.4	5.4°	237°	Libra	10:23	15:11	19:58	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-13.8°	46°	Taurus	20:53	04:10	11:32	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	13.7°	102°	Pisces	18:09	00:09	06:10	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

RISES17:43

BEST TIME23:59S · 52° high

SETS06:26

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

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:49

BEST TIME09:44S · 64° high

SETS16:36

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

RISES18:32

BEST TIME00:39S · 51° high

SETS06:46

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

RISES08:49

BEST TIME13:47S · 32° high

SETS18:45

Reaches about 32° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:02

BEST TIME09:09S · 68° high

SETS16:15

Reaches about 68° 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.