OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

42.45°N, 3.03°WEurope/Madrid

Nautical Twilight-8.6° (−6° to −12°)

20:03:50

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 10m of true darkness · 13h 18m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:17

Civil Dusk19:46

Nautical20:19

Full Dark20:51

Nadir01:56

Dark Ends07:01

Nautical07:34

Civil Dawn08:06

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%

ALTITUDE23.7°

DISTANCE379,960 km

Moonrise17:46

Moonset06:31

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX37% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

59/100

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	-14.1°	259°	Libra	08:58	13:50	18:43	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-28.0°	331°	Leo	02:48	09:48	16:44	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	15.7°	103°	Pisces	18:35	00:43	06:50	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-27.2°	342°	Cancer	02:00	09:13	16:24	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-1.3°	243°	Libra	10:33	15:14	19:55	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-7.0°	52°	Taurus	20:49	04:14	11:42	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	19.7°	110°	Pisces	18:12	00:13	06:13	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

RISES17:46

BEST TIME00:02S · 50° high

SETS06:31

Reaches about 50° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:48

BEST TIME09:48S · 62° high

SETS16:44

Reaches about 62° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES18:35

BEST TIME00:43S · 49° high

SETS06:50

Reaches about 49° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Good height

RISES08:58

BEST TIME13:50S · 30° high

SETS18:43

Reaches about 30° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:00

BEST TIME09:13S · 66° high

SETS16:24

Reaches about 66° 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.