OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

33.44°N, 36.08°EAsia/Damascus

Deep Astronomical Night-51.9° (< −18°)

22:04:40

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 8m of true darkness · 12h 54m total night

DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset17:53

Civil Dusk18:18

Nautical18:47

Full Dark19:16

Nadir00:20

Dark Ends05:24

Nautical05:52

Civil Dawn06:22

Sunrise06:47

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE58.1°

DISTANCE379,733 km

Moonrise16:08

Moonset04:43

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX79% · Heavy Lunar Wash

Bright moonlight washes out deep sky targets. Focus on lunar craters and bright planets.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

64/100

Fair Stargazing

Partial haze or lunar wash. Bright clusters, double stars, and prominent planets remain well visible.

CLOUD COVER15%

HUMIDITY50%

VISIBILITY18 km

DEW POINT10.8°C

PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

All times calibrated to Asia/Damascus

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-57.3°	290°	Libra	06:56	12:15	17:26	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-34.5°	34°	Leo	01:27	08:08	14:52	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Optimal Visibility	0.3	54.8°	152°	Pisces	17:01	23:07	05:12	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-27.2°	40°	Cancer	00:43	07:35	14:28	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-41.2°	271°	Libra	08:31	13:38	18:42	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Visible Low	5.6	28.8°	83°	Taurus	19:37	02:38	09:38	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	55.3°	166°	Pisces	16:36	22:37	04:37	Telescope

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

RISES16:08

BEST TIME22:21S · 58° high

SETS04:43

Reaches about 58° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:27

BEST TIME08:08S · 71° high

SETS14:52

Reaches about 71° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES17:01

BEST TIME23:07S · 58° high

SETS05:12

Reaches about 58° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Good height

RISES06:56

BEST TIME12:15S · 39° high

SETS17:26

Reaches about 39° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES00:43

BEST TIME07:35S · 74° high

SETS14:28

Reaches about 74° 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

0 / 6 targets logged tonight

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.