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Mark your calendar, sky watchers. This year will be a real treat in terms of astronomical events, with a host of remarkable sightings set to light up the skies.
With opportunities to wish on shooting stars and see a Super Blue Moon and a Ring of Fire eclipse, 2023 is packed with planetary power. Here’s what to look for:
March 1: Venus and Jupiter
After a few quiet months in the sky, western sky watchers have the chance to see Venus and Jupiter putting on a light show. Venus and Jupiter will appear to almost touch, making them easy to find – even though this is a farce. The planets will be separated by millions of miles of space.
“It’s an optical illusion. They’re not very close together, but it’s a beautiful opportunity to get the planets in one stone, so to speak,” said Noah Petro, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project scientist.
Venus will be at its brightest to the right of Jupiter, so it will be hard to miss.
All viewers have to do is whip out their binoculars or telescope to catch both planets at once. The best viewing options are after sunset.
June 21: Summer Solstice and Equinox
Throughout the month of June, Venus and Mars will hang in the sky like Venus and Jupiter in March, the planets will be on the same astronomical line, meaning they will appear as if they are grouped together.
On the first official day of summer, Venus, Mars and the Moon will form a triangle in the night sky, according to NASA Ambassador Tony Rice.
Viewers around the world should be able to watch the trio without special equipment because they will shine so brightly.
August 13-14: Perseid meteor shower
Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere will get a warm treat as they watch the Perseids this year. The event will be full of falling meteors, with up to 100 per hour, during its peak on the night of August 12, according to the American Meteor Society.
This year, the bright long-tailed balls will be active from July 14th to September 1st.
The show, which is known for its “stronger meteor showers,” according to Rice, won’t be obscured by the moon this year, as the moon will shine at 10 percent capacity.
August 27: Opposition to Saturn
The end of August is an optimal time to view the seven-ringed gas giant and the second largest planet in our solar system as it reaches opposition. During opposition, the Earth is perfectly positioned between Saturn and the Sun – this is the time in Saturn’s orbit when it is closest to the Earth.
Technically, opposition occurs at one point in time, but if you look at the planet weeks before it encounters opposition and weeks after, it will still be much brighter than usual, Rice told The Washington Post.
Saturn will be visible to the naked eye, but a telescope may be needed to see the planet’s famous hanging rings up close.
Sky watchers may be disappointed to learn that unlike a “blood moon,” which temporarily colors the moon red, blue hues are not cast on the moon during a blue moon. This simply means that the month of August will be punctuated by two full moons – compared to the full moons that normally occur once per calendar month. The second full moon on August 31 is considered a blue moon.
But it won’t just be a blue moon. This blue moon will be considered a super blue moon because the moon will appear larger and brighter, Rice said.
The event is not a one-off in a “blue moon” phenomenon, as they occur relatively regularly, according to Petro. The last time a Super Blue Moon happened was on January 31, 2018.
October 14: Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse.
Annular solar eclipses, known as “ring of fire” eclipses, occur when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are aligned, but the Moon is too far from Earth to completely block it. As the moon creeps in front of the sun, a fiery reddish and orange aura is cast over the moon’s refrigerators
Almost all of North America will be able to see a partial solar eclipse, but the fiery show is reserved for only certain parts of the country. Residents from Oregon to Texas, across the Caribbean, across Central America and across Brazil will be in the best position to watch the moon seemingly go up in flames, Petro said. The path of this annular solar eclipse foreshadows the path that the April 2024 total solar eclipse will take.
Since this is a solar eclipse, viewers will need to wear special glasses to protect their eyes from the blinding rays.
To end the year, sky watchers will be able to wish upon dozens of shooting stars just in time for the holiday season. The Geminid meteor shower reliably rises across the sky every year, like clockwork, around December. This year’s bright and intensely colored meteors will be active starting Nov. 19 and are expected to end on Christmas Eve, according to the American Meteor Society.
The moon doesn’t appear to be a spoiler this year, so viewers will be able to watch the dazzling display without distraction. With a small interruption in moonlight, people can see up to 150 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society.
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