OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

57.79°N, 12.10°EEurope/Stockholm
Astronomical Twilight-14.7° (−12° to −18°)
19:36:54
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 57m of true darkness · 14h 20m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:46
Civil Dusk18:27
Nautical19:12
Full Dark19:57
Nadir00:56
Dark Ends05:55
Nautical06:40
Civil Dawn07:25
Sunrise08:06
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 Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE21.2°
DISTANCE380,061 km
Moonrise16:42
Moonset05:40
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX33% · Moderate Lunar Glow

Milky Way contrast is softened. Bright open clusters and double stars are optimal.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
70/100
Good Stargazing

Fine observing conditions. Open star clusters and nebulae will exhibit crisp structure.

CLOUD COVER15%
HUMIDITY50%
VISIBILITY18 km
DEW POINT10.8°C
PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-21.0°270°Libra08:5112:5016:50Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-15.9°343°Leo01:0408:4716:27Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.316.0°114°Pisces17:3023:4205:54Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-13.4°351°Cancer00:0308:1216:20Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-12.3°251°Libra10:3914:1417:49Binoculars
Uranus♅ Rising / Setting 5.65.7°59°Taurus18:3903:1311:52Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.817.9°122°Pisces17:1223:1205:13Telescope
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 · Good height
RISES16:42
BEST TIME23:00S · 34° high
SETS05:40
Reaches about 34° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES01:04
BEST TIME08:47S · 47° high
SETS16:27
Reaches about 47° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:30
BEST TIME23:42S · 34° high
SETS05:54
Reaches about 34° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky
RISES08:51
BEST TIME12:50S · 14° high
SETS16:50
Only reaches about 14° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:03
BEST TIME08:12S · 50° high
SETS16:20
Reaches about 50° 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.