OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

40.22°N, 6.85°WEurope/Madrid

Daylight+13.5°

18:15:50

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

Sunset19:36

Civil Dusk20:03

Nautical20:35

Full Dark21:07

Nadir02:11

Dark Ends07:16

Nautical07:48

Civil Dawn08:19

Sunrise08:47

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE1.9°

DISTANCE380,365 km

Moonrise18:02

Moonset06:46

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX3% · 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

All times calibrated to Europe/Madrid

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Rising / Setting	-4.3	7.8°	239°	Libra	09:08	14:06	19:04	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-13.7°	303°	Leo	03:07	10:03	16:55	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Below Horizon	0.3	-6.8°	82°	Pisces	18:51	00:58	07:09	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-16.2°	312°	Cancer	02:20	09:28	16:34	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Visible Low	0.4	17.7°	221°	Libra	10:42	15:30	20:17	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-23.7°	27°	Taurus	21:11	04:29	11:51	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Below Horizon	7.8	-2.2°	88°	Pisces	18:27	00:28	06:33	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

RISES18:02

BEST TIME00:18S · 52° high

SETS06:46

Reaches about 52° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES03:07

BEST TIME10:03S · 64° high

SETS16:55

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

RISES18:51

BEST TIME00:58S · 51° high

SETS07:09

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

RISES09:08

BEST TIME14:06S · 32° high

SETS19:04

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

RISES02:20

BEST TIME09:28S · 68° high

SETS16:34

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.