OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

54.07°N, 2.28°WEurope/London

Civil Twilight-3.8° (0° to −6°)

18:19:29

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 3m of true darkness · 14h 0m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset17:53

Civil Dusk18:30

Nautical19:11

Full Dark19:52

Nadir00:53

Dark Ends05:55

Nautical06:36

Civil Dawn07:17

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%

ALTITUDE13.4°

DISTANCE380,126 km

Moonrise16:41

Moonset05:37

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX21% · Minimal Lunar Glare

Sky background remains dark; faint nebulae and distant galaxies are distinct.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

49/100

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	-10.1°	254°	Libra	08:31	12:47	17:04	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-14.4°	324°	Leo	01:15	08:45	16:11	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Rising / Setting	0.3	6.9°	97°	Pisces	17:29	23:40	05:50	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-13.7°	333°	Cancer	00:18	08:10	16:00	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-1.2°	236°	Libra	10:15	14:11	18:08	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-4.3°	43°	Taurus	18:59	03:11	11:26	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Rising / Setting	7.8	9.7°	104°	Pisces	17:09	23:10	05:10	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

RISES16:41

BEST TIME22:59S · 38° high

SETS05:37

Reaches about 38° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Minimal Lunar Glare.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:15

BEST TIME08:45S · 50° high

SETS16:11

Reaches about 50° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · Good height

RISES17:29

BEST TIME23:40S · 37° high

SETS05:50

Reaches about 37° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky

RISES08:31

BEST TIME12:47S · 18° high

SETS17:04

Only reaches about 18° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES00:18

BEST TIME08:10S · 54° high

SETS16:00

Reaches about 54° 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.