The 2023 Astronomical Theater "Programme" is here
This year's "super moon" appeared on August 31, and the two full moons on August 2 and September 29 were also relatively close to the earth.
September 29 happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival. At 17:58 on that day, a big and round moon will rise from the east.
It coincides with the Year of the Rabbit in the lunar calendar, and the Jade Rabbit looks at the moon with a special mood.
◎Our reporter Zhang Ye
On January 4, the "famous" Quadrantid meteor shower made its debut, kicking off the year-round astronomical drama.
So, what are the other wonderful astronomical phenomena in 2023?
How should astronomers observe these celestial phenomena?
Recently, in an interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily, Wang Kechao, director of science popularization at the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, took stock of the "program list" of astronomical phenomena worthy of attention this year, so that everyone can enjoy the wonders of the sky together.
Eclipse's sorry supermoon to make amends
Although there will be two total lunar eclipses in 2022, total solar eclipses and annular solar eclipses will be absent.
In 2023, a shocking solar eclipse will be staged, and it will bring us a rare total solar eclipse.
Wang Kechao told reporters that there will be two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses in 2023. The two solar eclipses will occur on April 20 and October 14, and the lunar eclipses will occur on May 5 and October. 29th.
Among them, the solar eclipse on April 20 is the most worth looking forward to. This is a rare annular solar eclipse plus total solar eclipse (total solar eclipse).
The total solar eclipse belt starts from the southern part of the Indian Ocean, passes through northwestern Australia, southeastern Timor-Leste, the provinces of Amaluku and Papua in Indonesia, and ends in the western Pacific Ocean.
Unfortunately, only the extreme southeast of Zhejiang, southeast of Fujian, southeast of Guangdong, southeast of Hainan and Taiwan can see a partial solar eclipse with a small eclipse, and the South China Sea Islands can see a partial eclipse with an eclipse of 0.2-0.5 .
As a rare and special astronomical phenomenon, although most of the total solar eclipse belt is located on the vast sea, it is not easy to watch, but it is still worth looking forward to. We can witness the most spectacular astronomical phenomenon this year through live broadcasts and other means.
The annular solar eclipse that occurred on October 14 will not be visible to our country at all.
The annular eclipse starts from the northeast Pacific Ocean, passes through the United States, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and ends in the Atlantic Ocean east of Brazil.
Both lunar eclipses this year are visible in our country, but they are not very "good-looking".
The penumbral lunar eclipse on May 5 lasted from 23:00 on the same day to the early morning of the next day, but when the penumbral lunar eclipse occurred, the brightness of the lunar surface was only slightly darker, which was not easy to detect with the naked eye; the partial lunar eclipse on October 29 occurred In the second half of the night, and the eclipse score is only 0.128, it will not look too spectacular.
For Chinese astronomy enthusiasts, the solar and lunar eclipse in 2023 will inevitably make people feel regretful, but there is still a "little gift"-"super moon" worth looking forward to.
2023 is a leap year in the lunar calendar (leap February), so there are 13 full moons (wang).
There will be two full moons in August (August 2 and August 31).
In the west, the second full moon in a Gregorian month is called a "blue moon", although of course the moon does not turn blue.
If the full moon happens to occur near the moon's perigee, the full moon will appear larger and brighter than usual, which is a "supermoon".
This year's "super moon" appeared on August 31, and the two full moons on August 2 and September 29 were also relatively close to the earth.
Among them, September 29 happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival. At 17:58 on that day, a big and round moon will rise from the east.
Coinciding with the Year of the Rabbit in the lunar calendar, the Jade Rabbit looks at the moon with a special mood.
Therefore, for Chinese astronomy enthusiasts, Tianyu on August 15th deserves special attention.
Make a wish under the three meteor showers
"Accompany you to watch the meteor shower fall on this earth, and let your tears fall on my shoulders..." The song "Meteor Shower" once touched the hearts of many people, and making a wish quietly under the meteor shower has also become the wish of many people. dream.
The observation conditions of the three meteor showers in the northern hemisphere this year are all good, and it will be the best time for people to make wishes.
Generally speaking, there are dozens to hundreds of large and small meteor showers throughout the year, but in most cases, only the three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere are worth observing: the Quadrantids, Perseids and Geminids.
These three major meteor showers can be said to have their own characteristics. For example, the Quadrantid meteor shower is a meteor shower named after a modern constellation that is no longer used; the Perseid meteor shower is the only meteor shower that appears in summer, and it is also the most comfortable observation condition. One; and the Geminid meteor shower can be said to be the most stable meteor shower with the highest probability of observation.
During the summer vacation, the Perseid meteor shower's maximum period has attracted the attention of many student astronomy enthusiasts due to its comfortable observation conditions and suitable time.
According to the forecast of the International Meteor Organization, the maximum period of the Perseid meteor shower in 2023 will appear approximately from 15:00 to 22:00 on August 13, Beijing time, and the zenith rate can reach 100 per hour.
The moon phase before and after the maximum period is the waning moon, and the moon will not rise until the early morning, and the moonlight is relatively weak, which has almost no effect on observation.
According to the forecast of the International Meteor Organization, the maximum period of the Geminid meteor shower in 2023 is expected to appear at 3:00 on December 15, Beijing time, and the zenith rate can reach 150 per hour.
The moon phase was just past the new moon that day, and the moonlight had no effect on the observation.
In addition, the two nights of December 13th and 14th are also good observation opportunities, especially from 9:00 pm on the 14th to before sunrise, so don’t miss it.
Because Gemini has appeared in the eastern sky shortly after dark on December 13, as the radiant point gradually rises, the number of meteors will continue to increase.
Wang Kechao reminded that both the Quadrantid meteor shower and the Geminid meteor shower occur in winter, and the outdoor weather is cold, so it is necessary to take measures to prevent cold and keep warm when going out for observation.
Although the Perseid meteor shower occurs in summer, astronomy enthusiasts should also pay close attention to the local weather forecast and choose the best observation location in advance.
Inner planets and outer planets each have their own wonderful
In the solar system, we call the planets between the earth and the sun inner planets, Mercury and Venus are the inner planets; the planets outside the orbit of the earth around the sun are called outer planets, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are exoplanets.
Mercury and Venus are submerged in the brilliance of the sun most of the time, and the best viewing period is when the east-west distance is large (the large distance is the time when the inner planet is farthest from the sun and the most distant from the sun when viewed from the earth). easy to observe).
This year, Mercury has a total of 6 long distances, namely the west distance on January 30, May 29, and September 22; the east distance on April 12, August 10, and December 4.
Among them, the observation conditions for the west long distance on January 30, the east long distance on April 12, and the west long distance on September 22 are slightly better.
Venus has two long distances, the east long distance on June 4 and the west long distance on October 24.
Since Venus is relatively bright, it is not necessarily necessary to observe it at a long distance. We can observe Venus before and after the long distance.
From the beginning of March to the first ten days of July, Venus will maintain an altitude of more than 30° above the horizon at sunset, and it is very easy for people to find it in the afterglow of the evening.
Venus will then rapidly approach the Sun, changing from an evening star to a morning star.
From the end of August, Venus will appear in the eastern sky before sunrise, and its height will gradually increase. We will have a good time to observe Venus again.
It is worth mentioning that on March 24 this year, there will be a rare lunar occultation of Venus.
This lunar occultation of Venus can be seen in southern Africa, the Indian Ocean, and southern Asia.
At that time, the brightness of Venus will be at magnitude -3.9, and the moon phase will be a crescent moon.
Over time, the moon slowly eclipses bright Venus.
Astronomy enthusiasts in southern my country can see the moon occulting Venus in the western night sky, but astronomy enthusiasts in the north cannot.
The best viewing period for the outer planets is around opposition.
That is to say, the outer planet moves to the state of forming a straight line with the sun and the earth.
Generally speaking, planets are brightest and most suitable for observation at this time.
The opposition dates of the outer planets this year are: Saturn opposition on August 27, Neptune opposition on September 19, Jupiter opposition on November 3, and Uranus opposition on November 14.
There will be no Mars opposition in 2023.
Generally speaking, observing the outer planets mostly requires the help of a telescope, which is not as convenient as observing the inner planets.
"The public and astronomy enthusiasts can choose the right observation time according to their own preferences and record the beautiful moments." Wang Kechao said.