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For astronomy enthusiasts the 2023 a year full of events is expected, among eclipse of Sun and Moon e meteor showers “quality”, relay races Of planets and even the passage of one comet. Here’s what awaits us, in order of appearance.

January and February

To open the dance of the sky will be the meteor shower of Quadrantidswhose peak is expected in the night between 3 and 4 January a few hours before dawn. However, the experts of the Unione Astrofili Italiani (Uai) explain, the observation will be disturbed by the moonlight. Showers of “minor” shooting stars are also expected: Cancrides (January 17), Alpha Idrids (January 19) and Alpha Leonids (January 31).

There comet C/2022 E3 (Ztf)also said Neanderthal comet, will peep into our skies between January and February. This celestial body has a period of Revolution around the sun very longaround the 50 thousand years. For this reason it is possible that the Neanderthals, our ancient cousins ​​who became extinct about 40,000 years ago, could have seen it at the time of its previous close passage to the Sun. January 12, 2023 the comet will be located in perihelionthat is the point of its orbit closest to our star, and in the following days it will progressively approach the Land to arrive at a minimum distance of 42 million kilometers the February 2nd. The proximity to the Sun could make the comet visible from our planet even with the naked eyecertainly with binoculars and, even better, small telescopes.

Protagonists of the January and February sky will also be the planets. Marsin particular, is still visible in the constellation of Taurus. Venus he will make himself conspicuous longer at sunset on the western horizon and will be in company in Saturn: the two planets will be in conjunction on January 22nd. On the eastern horizon, at the crack of dawn, it will reappear Mercurywhile Jupiter will be visible on the southwest horizon in the early hours of the night. Who would like to see Uranus and Neptune he will have to have a telescope, pointing it respectively in the evening to the south and to the western horizon after sunset.

April and May

The April 20th there will be the first solar eclipse of 2023, and it will be one very rare sight. It will indeed be an eclipse hybrid: “because the earth’s surface is curved – NASA experts explain – sometimes an eclipse can go from annular to total as the Moon’s shadow moves across the Earth’s surface”. It will be visible from the southern Indian Ocean, Indonesia and Australia. Depending on the observation point, therefore, the eclipse will appear total or annular.

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