Viewable Cosmic Events For 2022

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Everyone is fascinated by the night sky – its beauty and even occasional unexpected surprises. What will be available for night watchers in 2022?

March 24 to April 5: Venus, Mars, and Saturn going geometric –

From late March to early April, early risers in both hemispheres will get to see some of our four brightest neighboring planets form some sacred geometry. Look to the low southeastern skies about an hour before local sunrise to catch Venus, Mars, and Saturn grouped together in a tight triangular cluster.

ECLIPSES:

April 30: Partial solar eclipse –

Two partial solar eclipses—when the moon blocks part of the solar disc in the sky—will occur in 2022. The first will be visible in southern South America, parts of Antarctica, and over parts of the Pacific and Southern Oceans. On April 30 the moon will pass between Earth and the sun, with the maximum eclipse occurring at 20:41 UTC, when up to 64 percent of the sun’s disc will be covered by the moon. Protective eyewear is needed to safely view all phases of a partial solar eclipse.

May 15 and 16: Flower Moon total lunar eclipse –

 Sky-watchers across the eastern half of North America and all of Central and South America will get to see the entire eclipse from beginning to end. Starting at 9:32 p.m. ET on May 15, the eclipse will reach its maximum phase—when the moon turns its deepest and most dramatic red—at 12:11 a.m. ET on May 16. The first of two total lunar eclipses of 2022 will occur on May 15 or 16, depending on where you are.

October 25: Partial solar eclipse –

A partial solar eclipse will occur in the skies over most of Europe and the Middle East, as well as parts of western Asia, northern Africa, and Greenland. The maximum eclipse will occur at 11:00 UTC. The partial solar eclipse will occur during nighttime in the Americas. The next solar eclipse for sky-watchers west of the Atlantic won’t happen until October 14, 2023, when an annular eclipse, or “ring of fire,” will be visible.

November 7 and 8: Total lunar eclipse –

Watch the moon blush red for the second time in 2022 when a total lunar eclipse occurs during the overnight hours of November 7 and 8. In the western United States and Canada, eastern Russia, New Zealand, and parts of eastern Australia, sky-watchers will get to see the entire eclipse unfold. Eastern North America and most of South America will be able to view partial phases of the eclipse as the moon sets in the west. The moon will begin to darken along its edge on November 8 at 3:03 a.m. PT, and then its entire disc will plunge into the deepest central portion of Earth’s shadow at 2:59 a.m. PT. The eclipse will end at 3:41 am PT.

April 30 and May 1: Venus-Jupiter conjunction –

In the month of April, stargazers can watch the bright planet Jupiter slowly rise higher and higher in the southeastern sky each day just before dawn. It will approach planet Venus, and before dawn on April 30. They will be so close they will seem to merge. The pair will be visible at the same time through binoculars and some backyard telescopes.

May 5 and 6:  Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks –

Meteor watchers can watch the Eta Aquarids meteor shower in early May, as sky conditions should be nearly perfect for the peak of these beauties. The best views for this shower are expected in the predawn hours of May 5. There can be many as 20 to 30 shooting stars may be visible per hour, although that number could be a more modest 10 to 20 per hour in the Northern Hemisphere.

June 18 to 27: Possibly six planets align –

In June you will be able to catch a rare lineup of all the major planets visible to the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and possibly Uranus.

Resource: Andrew Fazekas, https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/space/8-stargazing-events-for-2022?utm_source=pocket-newtab