OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

43.39°N, 4.02°WEurope/Madrid

Daylight+13.3°

17:56:09

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 21m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:20

Civil Dusk19:49

Nautical20:22

Full Dark20:55

Nadir02:00

Dark Ends07:05

Nautical07:38

Civil Dawn08:11

Sunrise08:40

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE0.6°

DISTANCE380,438 km

Moonrise17:50

Moonset06:36

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX1% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

41/100

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	7.4°	237°	Libra	09:04	13:54	18:45	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-10.7°	302°	Leo	02:50	09:52	16:50	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Below Horizon	0.3	-7.8°	80°	Pisces	18:39	00:46	06:58	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-12.9°	311°	Cancer	02:01	09:17	16:31	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Visible Low	0.4	16.2°	218°	Libra	10:40	15:18	19:56	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-21.5°	24°	Taurus	20:50	04:18	11:49	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Below Horizon	7.8	-3.7°	86°	Pisces	18:16	00:17	06:21	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 TIME00:06S · 49° high

SETS06:36

Reaches about 49° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:50

BEST TIME09:52S · 61° high

SETS16:50

Reaches about 61° 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 TIME00:46S · 48° high

SETS06:58

Reaches about 48° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Good height

RISES09:04

BEST TIME13:54S · 29° high

SETS18:45

Reaches about 29° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:01

BEST TIME09:17S · 65° high

SETS16:31

Reaches about 65° 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.