There will be a comet transit and a meteor shower in the January sky; see the agenda

The astronomical calendar of the first month of the year has arrived! The 2023 sky is preparing for impressive celestial events, and January is already bringing the first surprises: Astronomy enthusiasts from both hemispheres of the planet will have the chance to observe several planets in the sky and the beautiful conjunctions of the Moon with some and star clusters. !

But January’s astronomical events are even more spectacular: a passing comet and a powerful meteor shower!

In the early days of 2023, the Quadrantid meteor shower will peak on the night of January 3 and early in the morning of January 4. This is an above-average event that can produce up to 40 meteors per hour. This meteor shower is believed to have been produced by the grain and dust debris left by 2003 EH1, an extinct comet. Quadrantids occur between the 1st and 5th of January each year, and this year the brightest meteors will be easily visible, even though the Moon is almost full in the sky. Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky.

As early as January 12, the year’s most promising comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will come closest to the Sun at a distance of about 1.11 AU (166 million kilometers). For those in the Northern Hemisphere with good binoculars or a small telescope, the comet will be easily visible near the constellation Corona Borealis, heading towards the constellation of Shepherd. In the next few days, C/2022 will pass through the constellations of the Dragon and Ursa Minor until it reaches its brightest point on February 1. Until then, it will be visible from almost every corner of the planet.

Using apps like Carta Celeste, Stellarium and SkyMap are great allies for observing and identifying objects in the sky!

Calendar of the main astronomical events for the month of January 2023

03/01: Conjunction of Moon and Mars

01/03 and 01/04: Maximum effectiveness of the Quadrantid meteor shower

01/06: full moon

01/12: C/2022 E3 (ZTF) at perihelion point

01/21: New month

01/22: Conjunction of Venus and Saturn

01/23: Conjunctions of Moon and Saturn and Moon and Venus

01/26: Conjunction of Moon and Jupiter

01/30: Mercury at greatest western elongation

01/31: Conjunction of Moon and Mars

Clear skies and good observations!