OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

40.31°N, 3.73°WEurope/Madrid

Civil Twilight-5.5° (0° to −6°)

19:51:56

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 10m of true darkness · 13h 12m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:23

Civil Dusk19:51

Nautical20:23

Full Dark20:54

Nadir01:59

Dark Ends07:04

Nautical07:35

Civil Dawn08:07

Sunrise08:35

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE21.8°

DISTANCE380,004 km

Moonrise17:50

Moonset06:33

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX34% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

45/100

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	-10.9°	256°	Libra	08:56	13:53	18:51	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-28.4°	327°	Leo	02:55	09:50	16:43	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	13.4°	100°	Pisces	18:39	00:45	06:52	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-28.2°	337°	Cancer	02:08	09:16	16:22	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Rising / Setting	0.4	1.9°	241°	Libra	10:30	15:17	20:04	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-10.6°	50°	Taurus	20:58	04:17	11:39	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	17.7°	106°	Pisces	18:15	00:16	06:16	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

RISES17:50

BEST TIME00:05S · 52° high

SETS06:33

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

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:55

BEST TIME09:50S · 64° high

SETS16:43

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

RISES18:39

BEST TIME00:45S · 51° high

SETS06:52

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

RISES08:56

BEST TIME13:53S · 32° high

SETS18:51

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

RISES02:08

BEST TIME09:16S · 68° high

SETS16:22

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.