The universe and space research gave us great moments and images that will remain for posterity, thanks to the work of astronomers, space agencies and telescopes. But the coming year will also have dozens of astronomical events that will fascinate us..
Below, with information on natgeo, We detail what will be the 10 astronomical events that you cannot miss in 2023.
January 23: The crescent Moon approaches Venus and Saturn
On January 23, about an hour after sunset, the glow of the thin crescent Moon will be visible in the southwestern sky. Just below there will be two bright planets: Venus and Saturn. These planets will be only one degree apart, about the width of an index finger.
February 22: Proximity between the Moon and Jupiter, with Venus very close
On February 22, just as the Sun dips below the southwestern horizon, the crescent Moon will be very close to Jupiter. Also, Venus will be located a little lower. Observers from the southernmost parts of South America may even see the Moon drift in front of Jupiter for a short time.
March 1: Venus and Jupiter join forces
On the night of March 1, super-bright Venus and Jupiter will come within half a degree of each other, close enough to have the disks of both planets in the same field of view even with the smallest telescopes.
April 11: Venus approaches the Seven Sisters and Mercury appears
On April 11, one hour after sunset, the spectacular pairing of Venus and the Pleiades star cluster will be visible. High in the southwestern sky, the planet will be easily visible to the naked eye as a bright star-like object. The nine brightest members of the group are named after the Seven Sisters.
Also, Mercury will reach its highest point in the sky and offer the best view of the planet in the year. With binoculars, you will be able to overcome the glow of the sunset and observe this small weak point.
April 20: A hybrid solar eclipse in parts of Oceania
Skywatchers from a small portion of the Eastern Hemisphere will be lucky enough to see a rare hybrid solar eclipse. In some regions it will be total and in other places annular. In an annular eclipse, also known as a “ring of fire” eclipse, a ring of sunlight surrounds the Moon as it passes in front of the Sun.
April 22 and 23: Lyrid rain
From the night of April 22 to the early morning of April 23, meteor watchers are in for quite the spectacle as sky conditions should be near perfect for the peak Lyrid shower.
May 22 and 23: A trio between the Moon, Mars and Venus
On May 22, as soon as the Sun sets, there will be an incredible encounter between the Moon, Mars and Venus, three of the closest and brightest neighboring stars. If you use binoculars, you can see that the Moon is also approaching the bright stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini.
June 2: Mars near “El Pesebre”
On the night of June 2, Mars will be located in front of the beautiful star cluster “El Pesebre”, a collection of a thousand young stars. To see this phenomenon, we must wait for the sky to darken about an hour after sunset and locate Venus to help us find the faintest reddish spot nearby, which is Mars.
August 12 and 13: Perseid rain
The Perseids, considered one of the most spectacular annual meteor showers, produce up to 60 shooting stars per hour. In mid-August, Earth slams into a cloud of tiny debris left behind by a comet, producing a flurry of shooting stars as each tiny meteor burns up in the atmosphere.
December 13 and 14: The Geminids create gems in the sky
Although not as famous as the Perseid shower, astronomers estimate that up to 120 meteors per hour should be seen overnight between December 13 and 14 for the Geminid shower, making it one of the most active of the year
