OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

50.36°N, 4.45°WEurope/London

Nautical Twilight-7.9° (−6° to −12°)

18:59:20

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 6m of true darkness · 13h 45m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset18:10

Civil Dusk18:43

Nautical19:21

Full Dark19:59

Nadir01:02

Dark Ends06:05

Nautical06:43

Civil Dawn07:21

Sunrise07:54

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE19.1°

DISTANCE379,977 km

Moonrise16:51

Moonset05:43

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX30% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

61/100

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 Europe/London

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-13.9°	259°	Libra	08:26	12:56	17:26	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-20.2°	331°	Leo	01:35	08:53	16:08	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	12.2°	103°	Pisces	17:39	23:48	05:57	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-19.1°	340°	Cancer	00:42	08:19	15:54	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-3.4°	242°	Libra	10:06	14:20	18:34	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-3.4°	50°	Taurus	19:26	03:19	11:17	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	15.3°	110°	Pisces	17:18	23:19	05:19	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 · Good height

RISES16:51

BEST TIME23:08S · 42° high

SETS05:43

Reaches about 42° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:35

BEST TIME08:53S · 54° high

SETS16:08

Reaches about 54° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · Good height

RISES17:39

BEST TIME23:48S · 41° high

SETS05:57

Reaches about 41° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Good height

RISES08:26

BEST TIME12:56S · 22° high

SETS17:26

Reaches about 22° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES00:42

BEST TIME08:19S · 58° high

SETS15:54

Reaches about 58° 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.