OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

38.98°N, 2.88°WEurope/Madrid
Daylight+9.4°
18:27:08
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 10m of true darkness · 13h 8m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset19:22
Civil Dusk19:49
Nautical20:20
Full Dark20:51
Nadir01:56
Dark Ends07:00
Nautical07:31
Civil Dawn08:02
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 Spica Antares Deneb Venus (-4.3) Mercury (0.4) Neptune (7.8) Moon (92%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION92%
ALTITUDE7.0°
DISTANCE380,322 km
Moonrise17:46
Moonset06:28
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 -4.33.9°243°Libra08:4913:5018:51Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-18.7°308°Leo02:5409:4716:37Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Below Horizon 0.3-1.7°86°Pisces18:3600:4206:53Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-20.8°318°Cancer02:0709:1216:16Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Visible Low 0.415.0°226°Libra10:2315:1420:04Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-22.1°33°Taurus20:5904:1311:32Binoculars
Neptune♆ Rising / Setting 7.82.6°92°Pisces18:1200:1206:13Telescope
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 · 53° high
SETS06:28
Reaches about 53° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:54
BEST TIME09:47S · 65° high
SETS16:37
Reaches about 65° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES18:36
BEST TIME00:42S · 52° high
SETS06:53
Reaches about 52° 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 TIME13:50S · 33° high
SETS18:51
Reaches about 33° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:07
BEST TIME09:12S · 69° high
SETS16:16
Reaches about 69° 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.