Astronomy 2023 highlights include two great solar eclipses, the Sun heading towards solar optimum, a series of incredible lunar occultations and a lot more.
The past year saw 2 great overall lunar eclipses, a surprise meteor outburst from the Tau Herculids, a fine occultation of Mars by the Moon and more. Without further excitement, here are the really finest of the best events for astronomy 2023, coming to a sky near you:
Top occasions in 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 combinations are constantly sure to occur in a clockwork Universe … whats less known are how intense the solar cycle or a given meteor shower will be, or when the next fantastic Comet of the Century will turn up. In 2023, the Moon orbit versus the ecliptic is sloping as we head towards Major Lunar Standstill in March 2025. Expect greater tide changes, 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. In 2023, this high-riding Full Moon falls on December 26th, the day after Christmas.
Other stars brighter than +3 rd magnitude in the synodic course 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 distant bright star. Steve Preston maintains a list for the best asteroid occultation occasions for the year. Our top choice for 2023 is the occultation of the naked eye star Betelgeuse by asteroid 319 Leona across southern Europe and the southern tip of Florida on December 12th.
Astronomy 2023: The Planets
The worlds continue their celestial clockwork dance in 2023 too. The best time to observe the inner worlds (Mercury and Venus) is when theyre near biggest 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 also spies the planetary action as planets transit the field of view of its LASCO C3 and C2 imager. Ideally, the list of 2023 transits and occasions 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
– April 11th, 19 degrees east of the Sun at dusk
– 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 greatest (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 greatest elongation 46 degrees west of the Sun once again on October 24th.
Astronomy 2023: The Outer Planets
Opposition rollcall for planets in 2023 is as follows:
– Jupiter (November 3rd).
– Saturn (August 27th).
– Uranus (November 13th).
– Neptune (September 19th).
– Pluto (July 22nd).
Astronomy 2023: Conjunctions.
Combinations happen when the Moon, a star or planets appear near each other in the sky from our Earthly point of view. In keeping with our best-of-the-best doctrine, here are the closest (less than one degree, or 2 Full Moon widths apart) combinations for 2023:.
– Best (naked eye) world vs. world: 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 combinations 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 lots significant reputable meteor showers each year, with lots more small ones … Of course, the Moons phase constantly plays a role, 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% brightened, subsiding crescent.
– The Taurids (October 10th) ZHR ~ 5-15 with the Moon a -15% lit up, waning crescent. Note that 2023 is also a perihelion year for source comet 2/P Encke.
– The Orionids (October 22nd) ZHR ~ 20, with the Moon a +56% lit up, waxing gibbous.
– The Leonids (November 18th) ZHR 10-15, with the Moon a +31% illuminated, 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? This normally defunct shower was the source of several terrific meteor outbursts in the 19th century. Fast-forward to the early 21st century, and this shower appears to be picking up. Astronomers anticipate that 2023 may be a storm year for the enigmatic Andromedids. Earth might come across a particles stream from routine comet 46P/Wirtanen around December 10th-12th radiating from 2 possible radiants: one in the southern constellation of Sculptor, and another in the northern constellation of Pegasus.
Astronomy 2023: Comets to Watch For.
As noted previously, comets go and come. What makes our is intriguing radar when it concerns comets is an anticipated peak magnitude of +10 or brighter. Under this guideline, a handful of intriguing comets have emerged in 2023:.
– C/2022 E3 ZTF (named after the Zwicky Transient Facility) may reach +5 th magnitude in early February 1st as it glides 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 might peak at +2 nd magnitude in February 2023. The comet reaches perihelion on January 31st. The comet will likewise 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 might reach +8 th magnitude.
– Comet 2P/Encke reaches perihelion on October 23rd in the constellation Virgo, and may reach +6 th magnitude.
– Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan reaches perihelion on December 25th in the constellation Leo, and may reach +7 th magnitude.
– Finally, Comet C/2021 S3 PanSTARRS might reach +8 th magnitude by years end going in to 2024, crossing northern Centaurus during this phantom.
And waaaay out in the outer depths of the solar system out past the orbit of planet Neptune, popular 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 season of 2061. Lets see, already Ill be …
And obviously, we have the next Great North American Total Eclipse to look forward to on April 8th, 2024, as the shadow of the Moon sweeps throughout Mexico, the U.S. and the Canadian Maritimes.
Isnt it terrific that we get to share the sky together in 2023? Watch this space, as we expand on these fine celestial events and more in the coming year.
– Thanks to John Flannery for weighing in on his list of the very best huge events for 2023, and congrats on the very first Irish Astronomy Week, coming right up on March 19th, 2023!
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Initially, up lets distill things down to the really finest of the best … If I needed to pick a leading ten list of occasions for the coming year, here are our choices for astronomy 2023:
– Mars is fine early just off opposition in late 2022 into early 2023
– Comet 96P Machholz reaches perihelion on January 31st
– An unusual hybrid solar eclipse
– A fine 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 increases
– 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 combinations are always sure to take place in a clockwork Universe … whats less understood are how intense the solar cycle or an offered meteor shower will be, or when the next excellent Comet of the Century will turn up. You could state were due …
Still, we can expect our host star to put on a good great program 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 starts with all 5 naked eye worlds visible at sunset in one visual sweep, a phenomenon separated when Mercury leaves the evening scene on January 5th.
Looking daddy afield in the solar system, 2023 is a miss out on year for Jupiters outer moon Callisto, the only major Galilean moon that can pass above or listed below Jove from our perspective. The moons return towards edge-on in 2026, when a season of shared transits and eclipses resume.
Saturns rings were also widest in 2017 from our viewpoint, and in 2023, narrow from 10 to 6 degrees broad and head towards edge-on when again in 2025.
In 2023, the very best dates to complete a Messier Marathon and see all of the traditional deep sky objects from the traditional catalog in one night are the weekends of March 18th (primary) and March 25th (Secondary).
The white dwarf star Sirius B likewise reaches its maximum evident separation 11.3″ from its brilliant primary in 2023, providing a good chance to check the evasive 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 tends 5 degrees relative to the ecliptic aircraft, guaranteeing that 2-3 eclipse seasons take place annually.
There are four eclipses in 2023: 2 solar and 2 lunar. This is the minimum that can take place in a given year. These cover 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 United States 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 remote
Northward Equinox: March 20th
Northward Solstice: June 21st
Earth at aphelion: July 6th at 1.02 AU remote
Southward Equinox: September 23rd
Southward Solstice: December21st
In 2023, the Moon orbit versus the ecliptic is hilly as we head towards Major Lunar Standstill in March 2025. This cycle of high versus shallow follows an 18.6-year span. Expect greater tide variations, as the Full Moon trips high in the sky for northern hemisphere observers in the winter, and low to the south in the summer season. This culminates with the Long Nights Moon nearby 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 contemporary definition of the second moon in a calendar month.
Lunar Occultations in 2023
Lunar occultations take place when the Moon passes in front of a world or bright star. These can be specifically remarkable 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 worlds by the Moon in 2023:
– Venus (March 24th) for SE Asia, by a 9% illuminated, waxing crescent Moon
– Venus (November 9th) for Greenland, by a -15% illuminated, waning crescent Moon
– Mars (January 3rd) for southern Africa, by a +92% brightened, 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% illuminated, waxing gibbous Moon
– Mars (September 16) for northeastern South America (North America in the daytime) by a +3% lit up, waxing crescent Moon
– Mars (October 15) for Antarctica, by a slim +1% illuminated 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% lit up, waxing crescent Moon
Jupiter occultation footprint for May 17th. Credit: Occult 4.2
In the existing age, the Moon can likewise occult 4 bright +1 st magnitude stars (Antares, Spica, Regulus and Aldebaran). The great news 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% brightened, 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% illuminated Moon near brand-new
This cycle goes out till one last final occultation of Antares on August 27th, 2028.