OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

43.21°N, 5.89°WEurope/Madrid
Daylight+7.7°
18:39:11
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 20m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset19:28
Civil Dusk19:57
Nautical20:30
Full Dark21:03
Nadir02:08
Dark Ends07:12
Nautical07:45
Civil Dawn08:19
Sunrise08:48
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 Capella Altair Spica Antares Deneb Venus (-4.3) Mercury (0.4) Neptune (7.8) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE6.6°
DISTANCE380,277 km
Moonrise17:58
Moonset06:43
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX11% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
38/100
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 -4.32.1°243°Libra09:1114:0218:53Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-16.1°309°Leo02:5809:5916:57Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Below Horizon 0.3-1.4°86°Pisces18:4700:5407:06Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-17.6°319°Cancer02:0909:2416:38Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Visible Low 0.412.1°226°Libra10:4715:2620:04Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-18.5°33°Taurus20:5804:2511:56Binoculars
Neptune♆ Rising / Setting 7.82.5°93°Pisces18:2400:2406:25Telescope
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
RISES17:58
BEST TIME00:14S · 49° high
SETS06:43
Reaches about 49° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:58
BEST TIME09:59S · 61° high
SETS16:57
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
RISES18:47
BEST TIME00:54S · 48° high
SETS07:06
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
RISES09:11
BEST TIME14:02S · 29° high
SETS18:53
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
RISES02:09
BEST TIME09:24S · 65° high
SETS16:38
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

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.