OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

17.40°S, 32.23°EAfrica/Harare

Nautical Twilight-6.6° (−6° to −12°)

18:21:03

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM8h 54m of true darkness · 11h 23m total night

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

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset17:53

Civil Dusk18:15

Nautical18:41

Full Dark19:08

Nadir23:35

Dark Ends04:02

Nautical04:28

Civil Dawn04:54

Sunrise05:16

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION92%

ALTITUDE38.7°

DISTANCE380,345 km

Moonrise15:27

Moonset03:42

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX58% · Moderate Lunar Glow

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

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

51/100

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 Africa/Harare

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-5.9°	249°	Libra	05:00	11:30	17:54	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-74.0°	261°	Leo	01:40	07:27	13:10	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	27.6°	79°	Pisces	16:22	22:22	04:21	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-82.7°	275°	Cancer	01:11	06:52	12:31	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Visible Low	0.4	13.5°	252°	Libra	06:24	12:54	19:23	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-27.0°	75°	Taurus	20:19	01:53	07:31	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Optimal Visibility	7.8	35.2°	78°	Pisces	15:50	21:52	03:54	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

RISES15:27

BEST TIME21:37N · 70° high

SETS03:42

Reaches about 70° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (92% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:40

BEST TIME07:27N · 58° high

SETS13:10

Reaches about 58° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES16:22

BEST TIME22:22N · 71° high

SETS04:21

Reaches about 71° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES05:00

BEST TIME11:30S · 89° high

SETS17:54

Reaches about 89° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES01:11

BEST TIME06:52N · 55° high

SETS12:31

Reaches about 55° 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.