OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

36.75°N, 3.87°WEurope/Madrid
Daylight+6.2°
18:52:49
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 2m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset19:28
Civil Dusk19:55
Nautical20:25
Full Dark20:55
Nadir02:00
Dark Ends07:04
Nautical07:34
Civil Dawn08:04
Sunrise08:31
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 Spica Antares Deneb Venus (-4.3) Saturn (0.3) Mercury (0.4) Neptune (7.8) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE11.4°
DISTANCE380,226 km
Moonrise17:51
Moonset06:31
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX18% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
35/100
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♀ Rising / Setting -4.31.1°247°Libra08:4913:5418:59Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-23.5°312°Leo03:0109:5116:37Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Rising / Setting 0.32.2°90°Pisces18:4000:4606:56Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-25.3°322°Cancer02:1609:1616:15Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Visible Low 0.413.3°231°Libra10:2215:1820:14Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-21.3°39°Taurus21:0904:1711:30Binoculars
Neptune♆ Rising / Setting 7.86.9°96°Pisces18:1600:1606:17Telescope
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
RISES17:51
BEST TIME00:06S · 56° high
SETS06:31
Reaches about 56° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES03:01
BEST TIME09:51S · 68° high
SETS16:37
Reaches about 68° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES18:40
BEST TIME00:46S · 55° high
SETS06:56
Reaches about 55° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:49
BEST TIME13:54S · 35° high
SETS18:59
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
RISES02:16
BEST TIME09:16S · 71° high
SETS16:15
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.