OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

48.68°N, 38.09°EEurope/Kyiv
Deep Astronomical Night-39.5° (< −18°)
21:28:45
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 7m of true darkness · 13h 38m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:23
Civil Dusk17:55
Nautical18:32
Full Dark19:08
Nadir00:12
Dark Ends05:15
Nautical05:52
Civil Dawn06:28
Sunrise07:01
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 Capella Altair Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE41.8°
DISTANCE379,867 km
Moonrise15:59
Moonset04:42
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX62% · Heavy Lunar Wash

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

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 -4.3-45.7°300°Libra07:2412:0716:42Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-23.6°23°Leo00:5008:0015:14Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Optimal Visibility 0.338.9°150°Pisces16:5022:5905:07Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-17.7°30°Cancer23:5707:2714:58Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-34.7°278°Libra09:0613:3017:50Binoculars
Uranus♅ Visible Low 5.625.0°86°Taurus18:4402:3010:20Binoculars
Neptune♆ Optimal Visibility 7.839.2°160°Pisces16:2822:2904:29Telescope
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
RISES15:59
BEST TIME22:13S · 43° high
SETS04:42
Reaches about 43° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Heavy Lunar Wash.
JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES00:50
BEST TIME08:00S · 56° high
SETS15:14
Reaches about 56° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES16:50
BEST TIME22:59S · 43° high
SETS05:07
Reaches about 43° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Good height
RISES07:24
BEST TIME12:07S · 23° high
SETS16:42
Reaches about 23° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES23:57
BEST TIME07:27S · 59° high
SETS14:58
Reaches about 59° 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.