OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

38.51°N, 6.56°WEurope/Madrid

Daylight+13.8°

18:17:39

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 7m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:37

Civil Dusk20:04

Nautical20:35

Full Dark21:06

Nadir02:10

Dark Ends07:15

Nautical07:46

Civil Dawn08:17

Sunrise08:44

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE2.5°

DISTANCE380,358 km

Moonrise18:01

Moonset06:43

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX4% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

40/100

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	8.2°	239°	Libra	09:03	14:04	19:06	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-15.2°	304°	Leo	03:09	10:02	16:51	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Below Horizon	0.3	-6.4°	83°	Pisces	18:50	00:57	07:07	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-17.8°	313°	Cancer	02:23	09:27	16:29	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Visible Low	0.4	18.6°	222°	Libra	10:37	15:28	20:20	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-24.9°	28°	Taurus	21:15	04:28	11:45	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Below Horizon	7.8	-1.7°	89°	Pisces	18:26	00:27	06:32	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

RISES18:01

BEST TIME00:17S · 54° high

SETS06:43

Reaches about 54° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES03:09

BEST TIME10:02S · 66° high

SETS16:51

Reaches about 66° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES18:50

BEST TIME00:57S · 53° high

SETS07:07

Reaches about 53° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Good height

RISES09:03

BEST TIME14:04S · 33° high

SETS19:06

Reaches about 33° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:23

BEST TIME09:27S · 69° high

SETS16:29

Reaches about 69° 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.