AstroPlanner
AstroPlanner
Which objects are in the best positions in the sky? Pick the night and the time and see the highest targets, for the longest, farthest from the Moon.
- Dark night
- 19:20 – 04:10 (8.8 h)
- Moon
- Waxing crescent · 6 % (above the horizon for 0.7 h of the dark night)
Equipment: SkyWatcher Explorer 200P + ZWO ASI294MC Pro — field of 66′ × 45′.
2026-10-12
Best targets of the night
The best 15 of 444 objects that rise above 30° tonight. The score combines sky position (peak altitude, hours above 45° and distance from the Moon), the object brightness and how it fits the equipment field.
| Object | Best time | Max altitude | Hours > 45° | From the Moon | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 7293 — Nebulosa da Hélice Planetary nebula · mag 7.3 · fills 36 % of the field |
21:00 | 88° | 5.0 h | 103° | 92 |
| ESO356-004 — Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy · mag 7.4 · fills 29 % of the field |
01:10 | 79° | 6.3 h | 123° | 91 |
| NGC 247 Galaxy · mag 9.2 · fills 44 % of the field |
23:10 | 87° | 6.3 h | 127° | 89 |
| NGC 288 Globular cluster · mag 8.1 · fills 21 % of the field |
23:20 | 86° | 6.5 h | 123° | 89 |
| M30 Globular cluster · mag 7.1 · fills 20 % of the field |
20:10 | 90° | 4.2 h | 93° | 88 |
| ESO351-030 — Sculptor Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy · mag 8.6 · fills 34 % of the field |
23:30 | 79° | 6.7 h | 118° | 87 |
| NGC 1316 — Fornax A Galaxy · mag 8.5 · fills 30 % of the field |
01:50 | 76° | 5.5 h | 120° | 85 |
| NGC 300 Galaxy · mag 8.7 · fills 43 % of the field |
23:20 | 75° | 6.7 h | 114° | 85 |
| NGC 55 Galaxy · mag 8.5 · fills 66 % of the field |
22:40 | 74° | 6.7 h | 108° | 85 |
| NGC 1097 Galaxy · mag 9.8 · fills 23 % of the field |
01:10 | 83° | 6.2 h | 127° | 84 |
| NGC 7793 Galaxy · mag 9.3 · fills 23 % of the field |
22:30 | 80° | 6.5 h | 111° | 84 |
| NGC 253 — Galáxia do Escultor Galaxy · mag 11.1 · fills 60 % of the field |
23:20 | 87° | 6.7 h | 123° | 83 |
| NGC 1269 Galaxy · mag 8.7 · fills 25 % of the field |
01:40 | 72° | 5.7 h | 116° | 83 |
| M41 Open cluster · mag 4.5 · fills 27 % of the field |
04:00 | 73° | 2.2 h | 111° | 81 |
| PGC000143 — Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte Galaxy · mag 10.8 · fills 23 % of the field |
22:30 | 82° | 6.2 h | 124° | 81 |
Astronomical night
Best targets at 00:00
"Position" is the altitude of the object relative to the maximum it reaches at this location (100 % = at its highest point).
| Object | Altitude | Direction | Position | Highest point | From the Moon | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 288 Globular cluster · mag 8.1 · fills 21 % of the field |
80° | WSW 247° | 93 % | 23:20 passed 40 min ago | 123° | 84 |
| ESO351-030 — Sculptor Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy · mag 8.6 · fills 34 % of the field |
77° | SSW 212° | 97 % | 23:30 passed 30 min ago | 118° | 84 |
| ESO356-004 — Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy · mag 7.4 · fills 29 % of the field |
71° | SE 132° | 91 % | 01:10 rising for 1 h 10 min more | 123° | 83 |
| NGC 247 Galaxy · mag 9.2 · fills 44 % of the field |
79° | W 280° | 90 % | 23:10 passed 50 min ago | 127° | 82 |
| NGC 300 Galaxy · mag 8.7 · fills 43 % of the field |
73° | SSW 207° | 97 % | 23:20 passed 40 min ago | 114° | 81 |
| NGC 253 — Galáxia do Escultor Galaxy · mag 11.1 · fills 60 % of the field |
79° | WSW 255° | 91 % | 23:20 passed 40 min ago | 123° | 77 |
| NGC 55 Galaxy · mag 8.5 · fills 66 % of the field |
67° | SW 221° | 91 % | 22:40 passed 1 h 20 min ago | 108° | 77 |
| NGC 1097 Galaxy · mag 9.8 · fills 23 % of the field |
72° | ESE 118° | 87 % | 01:10 rising for 1 h 10 min more | 128° | 75 |
| NGC 613 Galaxy · mag 10.4 · fills 12 % of the field |
84° | S 177° | 100 % | 00:00 at its highest point now | 125° | 73 |
| NGC 1316 — Fornax A Galaxy · mag 8.5 · fills 30 % of the field |
62° | SE 127° | 82 % | 01:50 rising for 1 h 50 min more | 120° | 73 |
| IC 1613 Galaxy · mag 9.5 · fills 41 % of the field |
64° | NNW 344° | 99 % | 23:30 passed 30 min ago | 146° | 73 |
| NGC 578 Galaxy · mag 11.1 · fills 11 % of the field |
89° | NW 306° | 100 % | 00:00 at its highest point now | 130° | 72 |
| NGC 7793 Galaxy · mag 9.3 · fills 23 % of the field |
67° | WSW 240° | 83 % | 22:30 passed 1 h 30 min ago | 110° | 72 |
| NGC 1269 Galaxy · mag 8.7 · fills 25 % of the field |
62° | SE 136° | 86 % | 01:40 rising for 1 h 40 min more | 117° | 72 |
| NGC 134 Galaxy · mag 10.3 · fills 19 % of the field |
73° | SW 230° | 91 % | 23:00 passed 1 h ago | 114° | 70 |
Low-precision calculation (about 0.3°) done on the server for the observatory position, in the site time zone. Good for planning the night, not for pointing telescopes. Double stars and asterisms are not ranked.