Astronomy 2023 highlights consist of 2 great solar eclipses, the Sun heading towards solar maximum, a series of incredible lunar occultations and far more.
The past year saw two great total lunar eclipses, a surprise meteor outburst from the Tau Herculids, a fine occultation of Mars by the Moon and more. Without further fanfare, here are the really best of the finest occasions for astronomy 2023, coming to a sky near you:
Top events in 2023
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In 2023, the Moon orbit versus the ecliptic is sloping as we head towards Major Lunar Standstill in March 2025. This cycle of shallow versus high follows an 18.6-year span. Anticipate greater tide fluctuations, as the Full Moon flights high in the sky for northern hemisphere observers in the winter season, and low to the south in the summer season. This culminates with the Long Nights Moon closest the December southward solstice. In 2023, this high-riding Full Moon falls on December 26th, the day after Christmas.
The May 19th New Moon is likewise a Black Moon in the old timey sense of the third in an astronomical season with four, and the August 31st Full Moon is blue in the modern-day definition of the second moon in a calendar month.
Lunar Occultations in 2023
When the Moon passes in front of a world or bright star, lunar occultations take place. These can be particularly significant when the Moon is waxing, and the dark limb of our natural satellite leads the method.
The Moon occults Mars in December 2022. Credit: Mary McIntyre
There are 10 occultations of naked eye planets by the Moon in 2023:
– Venus (March 24th) for SE Asia, by a 9% lit up, waxing crescent Moon
– Venus (November 9th) for Greenland, by a -15% lit up, waning crescent Moon
– Mars (January 3rd) for southern Africa, by a +92% illuminated, waxing gibbous Moon
— Mars (January 31st) for the southern U.S. and Mexico, by a +74% lit up, waxing gibbous Moon
Mars occultation footprint for January 31st. Credit: Occult 4.2
– Mars (February 28) for Iceland and northern Scandinavia, by a +59% lit up, waxing gibbous Moon
– Mars (September 16) for northeastern South America (North America in the daytime) by a +3% illuminated, waxing crescent Moon
– Mars (October 15) for Antarctica, by a slim +1% brightened Moon near New
– Jupiter (February 22) for the southern idea of South America, by a +10% lit up, waxing crescent Moon
– Jupiter (March 22) for the eastern Caribbean, by a +2% illuminated, waxing crescent Moon
– Jupiter (May 17th) for North America, by a +5% illuminated, waxing crescent Moon
Jupiter occultation footprint for May 17th. Credit: Occult 4.2
In the existing period, the Moon can also occult four bright +1 st magnitude stars (Antares, Spica, Regulus and Aldebaran). The bright side is, the Moon begins a series of occultations of Antares (Alpha Scorpii) this year, and blots out the star 5 times in 2023:
– August 25th for North America by a +58% lit up, waxing gibbous Moon
– September 21st for the western Pacific, by a +35% lit up, waxing crescent Moon
– October 18th for the Middle East by a +15% brightened, waxing crescent Moon
– November 14th for eastern North America by a +3% brightened, waxing crescent Moon
– December 12th for southeast Asia (in the daytime) by a slim -1% lit up Moon near new
This cycle goes out till one last final occultation of Antares on August 27th, 2028.
– April 11th, 19 degrees east of the Sun at sunset
– May 29th, 25 degrees west of the Sun at dawn
– August 9th, 27 degrees east of the Sun at dusk
– September 22nd, 18 degrees west of the Sun at dawn
– December 4th, 21 degrees east of the Sun at dusk
– Venus reaches biggest (dusk) elongation 45 degrees east of the Sun on June 4th, crosses solar combination on August 13th at 5 degrees south of the Sun, then heads back into the dawn sky and reaches biggest elongation 46 degrees west of the Sun once again on October 24th.
Astronomy 2023: The Outer Planets
Opposition rollcall for worlds in 2023 is as follows:
– Jupiter (November 3rd).
– Saturn (August 27th).
– Uranus (November 13th).
– Neptune (September 19th).
– Pluto (July 22nd).
Astronomy 2023: Conjunctions.
Conjunctions happen when the Moon, a star or worlds appear near each other in the sky from our Earthly viewpoint. In keeping with our best-of-the-best doctrine, here are the closest (less than one degree, or more Full Moon widths apart) combinations for 2023:.
– Best (naked eye) planet vs. planet: Venus-Saturn (January 22nd) 20 apart, 22 degrees east of the Sun.
– Closest planet versus intense star: Mercury-Regulus (July 29th) 6 apart, 25 degrees east of the Sun.
Other close conjunctions of planets and bright stars in 2023 consist of:.
January 22nd: Venus 18 from Saturn (22 degrees east of the Sun).
February 15th: Venus less than 1 (!) from Neptune (28 degrees east of the Sun).
Venus vs. Neptune. Credit: Stellarium.
March 1st: Venus 30 from Jupiter (31 degrees east of the Sun).
Jupiter fulfills Venus on March 1st at sunset. Credit: Stellarium.
March 2nd: Mercury 54 from Saturn (13 degrees west of the Sun).
July 10th: Mars 36 from Regulus (42 degrees east of the Sun).
July 29th: Mercury 6 from Regulus (25 degrees east of the Sun).
October 29th: Mercury 18 from Mars (6 degrees east of the Sun).
Astronomy 2023: Meteor Showers.
There are about a dozen major reputable meteor showers per year, with dozens more minor ones … Of course, the Moons phase always contributes, as a near-Full Moon will obscure fainter meteors. From this perspective, beneficial showers in 2023 consist of:.
– The Lyrids (April 23nd) Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) ~ 18 (variable approximately 90) with the Moon a +16% illuminated, waxing crescent.
– The Perseids (August 13th) ZHR ~ 100 with the Moon a -16% lit up, waning crescent.
– The Taurids (October 10th) ZHR ~ 5-15 with the Moon a -15% brightened, waning crescent. Keep in mind that 2023 is likewise a perihelion year for source comet 2/P Encke.
– The Orionids (October 22nd) ZHR ~ 20, with the Moon a +56% illuminated, waxing gibbous.
– The Leonids (November 18th) ZHR 10-15, with the Moon a +31% brightened, waxing crescent.
– The Geminids (December 14th) ZHR 150, with the Moon a +4% illuminated, waxing crescent.
– Could an Andromedid meteor outburst be on tap for early December 2023? Astronomers predict that 2023 may be a storm year for the enigmatic Andromedids.
Astronomy 2023: Comets to Watch For.
As noted previously, comets go and come. What makes our is interesting radar when it pertains to comets is an expected peak magnitude of +10 or brighter. Under this guideline, a handful of fascinating comets have actually appeared in 2023:.
– C/2022 E3 ZTF (named after the Zwicky Transient Facility) may reach +5 th magnitude in early February 1st as it slides through Camelopardalis into Auriga.
– Comet C/2017 K2 PanSTARRS comes off of perihelion in December 2022, and might still shine at magnitude +8 in the southern constellation of Pavo the Peacock.
The predicted 2023 light curve for comet 96P Machholz. Credit: Sechii Yoshidas Weekly Information About Bright Comets.
— 96P Machholz 1 may peak at +2 nd magnitude in February 2023. The comet reaches perihelion on January 31st. The comet will also pass extremely close to the Sun at its brightest, and will be noticeable low to the dawn afterwards.
Comet 96Ps course through SOHOs LASCO C3 viewer. Credit: Starry Night.
– Comet 263P/Gibbs reaches perihelion on February 2nd in the constellation Capricornus, and may reach +8 magnitude.
– Comet 237P/LINEAR reaches perihelion on May 15th in the constellation Sagittarius, and might reach +9 th magnitude.
– Comet T4 (Lemmon) reaches perihelion on July 31st, in the constellation Cetus entering Telescopium and may reach +6 th magnitude.
– Comet 103P/Hartley reaches perihelion on October 12th in the constellation Gemini, and may reach +8 th magnitude.
– Comet 2P/Encke reaches perihelion on October 23rd in the constellation Virgo, and might reach +6 th magnitude.
– Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan reaches perihelion on December 25th in the constellation Leo, and might reach +7 th magnitude.
– Finally, Comet C/2021 S3 PanSTARRS may reach +8 th magnitude by years end entering to 2024, crossing northern Centaurus throughout this phantom.
And waaaay out in the external depths of the solar system out past the orbit of planet Neptune, well-known Comet 1/P Halley reaches aphelion on December 9th, 2023, at 35.14 AU remote … its all downhill from there, as the comet starts its plunge towards the inner solar system for perihelion in the summer of 2061. Lets see, by then Ill be …
And obviously, we have the next Great North American Total Eclipse to anticipate on April 8th, 2024, as the shadow of the Moon sweeps across Mexico, the U.S. and the Canadian Maritimes.
Isnt it terrific that we get to share the sky together in 2023? See this area, as we broaden on these great celestial events and more in the coming year.
– Thanks to John Flannery for weighing in on his list of the best astronomical occasions for 2023, and congrats on the very first Irish Astronomy Week, coming right up on March 19th, 2023!
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The past year saw two fine total lunar eclipses, a surprise meteor outburst from the Tau Herculids, a fine occultation of Mars by the Moon and more. Eclipses, Moon stages, and conjunctions are constantly sure to take place in a clockwork Universe … whats less known are how intense the solar cycle or a given meteor shower will be, or when the next terrific Comet of the Century will turn up. In 2023, the Moon orbit versus the ecliptic is uneven as we head towards Major Lunar Standstill in March 2025. Expect greater tide changes, as the Full Moon rides high in the sky for northern hemisphere observers in the winter, and low to the south in the summer. In 2023, this high-riding Full Moon falls on December 26th, the day after Christmas.
Initially, up lets distill things down to the extremely finest of the best … If I had to pick a top ten list of events for the coming year, here are our choices for astronomy 2023:
– Mars is great early just off opposition in late 2022 into early 2023
– Comet 96P Machholz reaches perihelion on January 31st
– An unusual hybrid solar eclipse
– A great annular eclipse
– A great year for the Perseids and Geminids
– The Moon resumes occulting Antares
– Moon occults Mars and Jupiter (on different dates) for North America
– Solar Cycle 25 ramps up
– Venus vs. Jupiter on March 1st, simply 30 apart
– A possible outburst from the Andromedid meteors in early December
Comet 96P/Machholz, imaged by NASAs STEREO spacecraft.
2023: An Astronomical Primer
Eclipses, Moon stages, and conjunctions are always sure to take place in a clockwork Universe … whats less understood are how intense the solar cycle or a given meteor shower will be, or when the next excellent Comet of the Century will turn up. You might say were due …
Still, we can expect our host star to put on a good show in 2023 as we head towards the peak of the 11-year solar cycle in 2025. Expect lots of sunspots, solar flares and prominences, and aurora.
2023 begins with all five naked eye planets visible at dusk in one visual sweep, a phenomenon broken up as soon as Mercury leaves the evening scene on January 5th.
Looking father afield in the solar system, 2023 is a miss year for Jupiters outer moon Callisto, the only significant Galilean moon that can pass above or listed below Jove from our viewpoint. The moons move back towards edge-on in 2026, when a season of mutual transits and eclipses resume.
Saturns rings were likewise widest in 2017 from our point of view, and in 2023, narrow from 10 to 6 degrees broad and head towards edge-on as soon as again in 2025.
In 2023, the best dates to complete a Messier Marathon and see all of the traditional deep sky things from the timeless catalog in one night are the weekends of March 18th (primary) and March 25th (Secondary).
The white dwarf star Sirius B also reaches its maximum obvious separation 11.3″ from its brilliant main in 2023, providing a good chance to examine the elusive companion off of your life-list.
The orbit of Sirius B. Credit: Dave Dickinson.
Eclipses in 2023
Eclipses take place when the Moon either passes between the Sun and Earth (a solar eclipse), or the Moon passes into the Earths shadow (a lunar eclipse). The Moons orbit is likely 5 degrees relative to the ecliptic aircraft, ensuring that 2-3 eclipse seasons happen per year.
There are four eclipses in 2023: two solar and two lunar. This is the minimum that can take place in a given year. These span two eclipse seasons, to include:
– A hybrid annular solar eclipse for southeast Asia and Indonesia on April 20th
– A penumbral lunar eclipse for Australia and East Asia on May 5th
The path of the 2024 hybrid solar eclipse. Credit: NASA/GSFC/A. T. Sinclair.
– An annular solar eclipse for the US southwest and Central/South America on October 14th
– A 12% partial lunar eclipse for Africa, Asia and Europe on October 28th
The course of the October annular eclipse. Credit: Michael Zeiler.
The Sun, Moon and Seasons in 2023
In 2023, the huge seasons and phenomena for the Earth unfold as follows:
Earth at perihelion: January 4th at 0.98 AU far-off
Northward Equinox: March 20th
Northward Solstice: June 21st
Earth at aphelion: July 6th at 1.02 AU distant
Southward Equinox: September 23rd
Southward Solstice: December21st
Other stars brighter than +3 rd magnitude in the synodic path of the Moon in 2023 consist of Gamma Virginis, Alpha Librae, Sigma Scorpii and Delta Scorpii.
Finest Asteroid Occultation for 2023: Rarer still is to see an asteroid pass in front of a remote intense star. Steve Preston maintains a list for the absolute best asteroid occultation events for the year. Our top pick for 2023 is the occultation of the naked eye star Betelgeuse by asteroid 319 Leona across southern Europe and the southern idea of Florida on December 12th.
Astronomy 2023: The Planets
The worlds continue their celestial clockwork dance in 2023. The absolute best time to observe the inner planets (Mercury and Venus) is when theyre near greatest elongation and farthest from the Sun in the dawn or dusk sky, while external worlds are best near opposition, when they increase in the east as the Sun sets in the west, controling the sky for the entire night.
NASAs solar observing SOHO spacecraft likewise spies the planetary action as worlds transit the field of vision of its LASCO C3 and C2 imager. Hopefully, the list of 2023 transits and events will go live here quickly.
Astronomy 2023: The Inner Planets
– Mercury reaches greatest elongation 6 times in 2023:
– January 30th, 25 degrees west of the Sun at dawn