OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

59.51°N, 15.99°EEurope/Stockholm
Deep Astronomical Night-22.7° (< −18°)
20:25:27
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 54m of true darkness · 14h 30m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:26
Civil Dusk18:08
Nautical18:56
Full Dark19:43
Nadir00:41
Dark Ends05:37
Nautical06:25
Civil Dawn07:13
Sunrise07:56
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 Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE26.1°
DISTANCE379,879 km
Moonrise16:26
Moonset05:26
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX41% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
77/100
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 -4.3-29.1°285°Libra08:4512:3516:25Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-15.5°359°Leo00:4108:3216:19Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.322.2°130°Pisces17:1423:2705:40Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-11.8°7°Cancer23:3707:5516:15Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-20.9°265°Libra10:3513:5817:22Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.613.9°72°Taurus18:1002:5811:49Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.823.2°138°Pisces16:5622:5704:58Telescope
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
RISES16:26
BEST TIME22:44S · 32° high
SETS05:26
Reaches about 32° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · Good height
RISES00:41
BEST TIME08:32S · 45° high
SETS16:19
Reaches about 45° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:14
BEST TIME23:27S · 32° high
SETS05:40
Reaches about 32° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky
RISES08:45
BEST TIME12:35S · 13° high
SETS16:25
Only reaches about 13° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES23:37
BEST TIME07:55S · 48° high
SETS16:15
Reaches about 48° 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.