OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

28.00°N, 15.62°WAtlantic/Canary
Daylight+15.7°
18:07:20
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 5m of true darkness · 12h 43m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset19:25
Civil Dusk19:49
Nautical20:16
Full Dark20:44
Nadir01:46
Dark Ends06:49
Nautical07:16
Civil Dawn07:44
Sunrise08:08
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%
ALTITUDE5.1°
DISTANCE380,171 km
Moonrise17:40
Moonset06:16
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX8% · Minimal Lunar Glare

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
39/100
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♀ Visible Low -4.310.7°243°Libra08:1913:4019:02Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-23.4°303°Leo03:0109:3816:11Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Below Horizon 0.3-4.7°86°Pisces18:2800:3306:41Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-27.0°312°Cancer02:2009:0315:45Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Visible Low 0.424.1°227°Libra09:4915:0520:20Binoculars
Uranus♅ Below Horizon 5.6-32.5°34°Taurus21:1504:0410:57Binoculars
Neptune♆ Rising / Setting 7.80.9°91°Pisces18:0200:0306:08Telescope
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
RISES17:40
BEST TIME23:54S · 65° high
SETS06:16
Reaches about 65° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES03:01
BEST TIME09:38S · 76° high
SETS16:11
Reaches about 76° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES18:28
BEST TIME00:33S · 63° high
SETS06:41
Reaches about 63° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES08:19
BEST TIME13:40S · 44° high
SETS19:02
Reaches about 44° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES02:20
BEST TIME09:03S · 80° high
SETS15:45
Reaches about 80° 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.