OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

37.22°N, 3.59°WEurope/Madrid
Daylight+0.7°
19:21:22
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 4m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset19:27
Civil Dusk19:53
Nautical20:24
Full Dark20:54
Nadir01:58
Dark Ends07:03
Nautical07:33
Civil Dawn08:04
Sunrise08:30
LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION
SunsetSunrise
LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry
30° ALT60° ALTZENITHNESW Polaris Vega Arcturus Altair Antares Deneb Saturn (0.3) Mercury (0.4) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE17.0°
DISTANCE380,119 km
Moonrise17:50
Moonset06:30
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX27% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
32/100
Challenging Stargazing

High cloud cover or severe light interference. Recommend bright planetary observation or indoor planning.

CLOUD COVER15%
HUMIDITY50%
VISIBILITY18 km
DEW POINT10.8°C
PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-4.4°251°Libra08:4813:5318:57Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-27.3°319°Leo02:5909:5016:37Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Rising / Setting 0.38.0°94°Pisces18:3900:4506:51Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-28.3°329°Cancer02:1409:1516:14Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Rising / Setting 0.48.3°236°Libra10:2215:1720:11Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-17.0°45°Taurus21:0604:1611:30Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.812.7°100°Pisces18:1400:1506:16Telescope
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 · 55° high
SETS06:30
Reaches about 55° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:59
BEST TIME09:50S · 67° high
SETS16:37
Reaches about 67° 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 · 54° high
SETS06:51
Reaches about 54° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:48
BEST TIME13:53S · 35° high
SETS18:57
Reaches about 35° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:14
BEST TIME09:15S · 71° high
SETS16:14
Reaches about 71° 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

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.