Must-Watch Celestial Events Of 2023: Space Journey

This April, we’ll have a chance to see a rare hybrid total/annular eclipse, which is an eclipse that changes its appearance as the Moon’s shadow moves across the Earth. Eclipses of that kind are infrequent: for instance, this century, we’ll only have 7 of them. In most cases, a hybrid eclipse begins as annular, becomes total, and then reverts to annular. Observers from Australia, Indonesia, and East Timor will witness this unique event; the surrounding regions will see a partial solar eclipse.

The Perseid meteor shower is one of the most popular and abundant showers of the year. It can produce up to 100 meteors per hour. This year, the Perseids’ peak is two days before the New Moon, so observing conditions are favorable. This meteor shower is primarily visible from the Northern Hemisphere, where the radiant is always above the horizon.

The Supermoon occurring on August 31, 2023, will come closer to the Earth than other Full Moons of the year and will become the year’s brightest and most prominent. Moreover, it is going to be a Blue Moon or the second Full Moon in a calendar month (note that the name has nothing to do with the real color of the Moon).

Another solar eclipse will be visible over the North and South American continents. Observers from the United States, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil will see a “ring of fire”, or annulus – the bright ring of sunlight around the Moon. The rest of the Western Hemisphere will experience a partial eclipse. The next solar eclipse of this kind will happen in a year and will be only visible from Chile and Argentina

The bright Geminids are usually the year's strongest and most reliable meteor shower. It is known to produce up to 150 multi-colored meteors per hour. The spectacular show can be seen in both hemispheres. Observers from the northern latitudes can start observations in the evening. Stargazers from the Southern Hemisphere will have to wait a bit longer: the radiant will rise above the horizon only around midnight.