“Best Astronomical Events in 2023, written by Aayush Mehta”
Astronomical events like eclipses, oppositions and even meteor showers are all possible in your lifetime and with a set of binoculars, a modest telescope or even with the naked eye you can observe a variety of celestial events. The year 2022 was such a blessing for ammature astronomers like us, we tried our level best to mesmerize you with the beauty of night sky. From Mahuli to Dehne, Dehne to Cordelia Cruize and Cordelia to all over India we are trying a bit more harder at every step just to see a glare at your face like the moon. Hope you enjoyed alot with Stargazing Mumbai, comment down your best moment with us! We welcome you to another amazing year with a new observation site of Bhandardara to take you a bit more closer to nature. What are the most insane space events taking place that the year 2023 have in store for us?
Well get ready to find it! Best Astronomical events in 2023
Quadrantid Meteor Shower
3rd January 2023
The Quadrantid meteor shower will run from December 12 to January 12th with its Peaks on January 3 .It will emit an astounding 120 to 150 meters per hour that’s why it is also known to produce fireballs. The best time to observe the shower will be between the moonset and sunrise.
Comet flyby C/2022 E3(ZTF)
2nd February 2023
As per the predictions of scientists Comet 2022 E3 will become the brightest comet of 2023, the comet will be visible in the night sky of January and February even by using a binocular or medium sized telescopes as it gets closer and closer each day. On 2nd February the comet will reach its nearest point to the earth, the perihelion point that’s just 0.29 astronomical units from the sun and 27 million miles away to see the comet.
Image Credits: Dan Bartlett
Hybrid Solar Eclipse
20th April 2023
If you are interested in an amazing view of Solar Eclipses this day is for you. An annular/hybrid solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun when it is at the farthest point in its orbit around earth ,the moon in this eclipse appears to be a little smaller and incapable of covering the entire solar disc.
Image Credits:
Left: Fred Espenak- Right: Stephan Heinsuis
Persid Meteor Shower
13th August 2023
Another opportunity for meteor shower lovers to observe the bliss of one of the most popular and abundant showers of this year. It may produce upto 100 to 120 meteors per hour. It will primarily be visible from the Northern Hemisphere and just after two days you will be able to observe the glare of the New Moon.
Image Credits: NASA
Saturn at Opposition
31st August 2023
This beautiful phenomenon can be observed only once in a year when the earth comes between Saturn and the Sun so after the sun sets you’ll be able to observe the ringed planet brighter and bigger than usual in the east direction with a magnitude of 0.4 in the constellation of Aquarius.
Blue Super Moon
31st August 2023
Who doesn’t enjoy gazing at the full moon?
It must have been the first thing in the sky that every astronomer had observed through their telescopes. 2023 is definitely a blessing in disguise as the year 2023 has 13 full moons one more than the traditional 12 full moons in any year. The first supermoon occurs on 2nd August 2023 and the second on 31st August 2023 making a blue moon in addition to the supermoon.
Image Credits: NASA
Jupiter at Opposition
3rd November 2023
Opposition of a planet from earth generally means that the earth will lie in between the sun and that planet and will remain in the night sky above the horizon for most of the night.So on november 3rd, jupiter is going to be at opposition and will shine brightest of the year with an expected magnitude of -2.9 in the constellation of Aries. It is going to be the best time to observe the Galilean moon of Jupiter.
Geminids Meteor Shower
December 14 2023
Geminids are widely recognised as the best annual meteor shower and occur every year from 4th to 20th December. The best time to observe Geminids meteor shower is midnight 12:00 am to 5 am on its peak. Geminids is also one of the best Astronomical Event happens every year.
The Geminid meteor shower radiates from near the bright stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini, However, they can appear almost anywhere in the night sky, and often appear yellowish in hue, with the possibility of sighting around 100-120 meteors per hour at its peak. The greatest number of meteors typically fall in the wee hours after midnight, centered around 2 a.m. local time.
The astronomer Ptolemy believed that shooting stars were a sign of the gods looking upon mortals and listening to their wishes. Inspiring everything from making wishes to adoring the sky, meteor showers are a reminder of our place in a dynamic and beautiful cosmic ecosystem.
Image
Credits: Jacobs Space Exploration Group
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