The year's special events in the sky
Sun: Looking at the Sun either with the unaided eye or through binoculars or a telescope is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ! PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE CAN AND PROBABLY WILL OCCUR. Click here to find out how to observe the Sun safely.
Moon Phases:
The Moon is ideal for viewing in the week centred on the First Quarter phase, both regarding the sights presented and the most convenient time for observing (evenings). In addition, it is quite high in the sky at sunset. First Quarter in 2023 will occur on the following dates:
2023: January 29; February 27; March 29; April 27; May 27; June 26; July 25; August 24; September 23; October 22; November 20; December 20.
Eclipses in 2023:
Lunar:
PENUMBRAL, MAY 6: The next lunar eclipse visible from Australia will occur on this night, poorly timed to begin at 1:14 am. Maximum eclipse will be at 3:22 am and the eclipse will end at 5:31 am. Sunrise is at 6:15 am and the Moon will set six minutes later. The Earth's umbra is its main shadow, and an umbral eclipse is very spectacular as the Full Moon is "eaten up" as it enters the umbra. On the other hand, the Earth's penumbra is very faint, and a penumbral eclipse of the Moon is not spectacular at all. In fact, it is hardly noticeable, and a casual observer might not even detect that the Full Moon is not as bright as normal. This penumbral eclipse will be visible in the night-time hours in Australia, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, but most people will not discern anything out of the ordinary.
Observers in Perth with a two-hour time difference will see the penumbral eclipse begin at 2:01 am AWST. The umbral phase will begin at 3:35 am AWST. Mid-eclipse will be at 4:14 am AWST, but only 12.2% of the Moon will be in the Earth's umbra. The Moon will set in Perth at 5:23 am AWST, but the eclipse will not end until 6:26 am AWST. All observers on the night side of the Earth will be able to see this eclipse, but people in England will be able to see it in its entirety from 7:01 pm (their time) to 11:26 pm. However, it is only a partial eclipse and all people who are able to see all of it will still be limited to the sight of only 12.2% of the Moon being in shadow.
The next total eclipse of the Moon visible from the Sunshine Coast will be on September 8, 2025, in the hours before dawn. Here are the circumstances:
Moon enters Earth's penumbra: 1:28 am AEST; Partial eclipse begins at 2:27 am; Total eclipse begins at 3:31 am; Mid-eclipse is at 4:12 am; Totality ends at 4:53 am; Partial eclipse ends at 5:56 am; Eclipse ends at 6:55 am; Sun rises at 5:54 am; Moon sets at 5:55 am.
Solar:
TOTAL
, APRIL 20: The path of totality of this "Australian Eclipse" of the Sun begins in the Southern Ocean near the island of Kerguelen. It proceeds north-east and skims the Western Australian coast at North-West Cape. The town of Exmouth on the Exmouth Peninsula will be the best place to view the total phase of the eclipse, which will last only 1 minute and 16 seconds. The short duration is due to the fact that the Moon is only slightly larger in angular size (31' 59.79") than the Sun (31' 50.85") at the appointed time (11:29 am Australian Western Standard Time). When the Moon is near its closest distance from Earth (perigee) on the day of an eclipse, then it looks slightly larger and totality has a longer duration (6 minutes or more). The Moon in April will be at perigee on April 16, and will be heading out to apogee on April 28. This short duration also means that the path of totality will be much narrower, so eclipse-chasers will have to be careful that they are in the right position. Also, craters and valleys at the edge (limb) of the Moon may allow sunlight to shine through even during totality, giving the impression of a circle of brilliant points of light.The Exmouth Peninsula is the only place in Australia where totality will be experienced. The path of totality then heads north-east over the Timor Sea to Timor-Leste (East Timor) and crosses the Banda Sea to the isthmus that attaches the Vogelkop (Bird's Head) Peninsula to the rest of New Guinea. These are the only places to observe a total eclipse, apart from on cruise ships at sea. Exmouth is predicted to have up to 30% cloud cover, Timor 60%, and New Guinea 80% or worse.
The further away from the path of totality an observer is, the less of the Sun will be covered by the Moon. Observers at towns north-east of Exmouth, such as Onslow, Dampier, Karratha and Port Hedland will see the Sun reduced to a fine sliver of light, but no total eclipse. In Darwin the Moon will cover 84.5% of the Moon at maximum, and in Perth 76.6%. These will be seen as partial eclipses, and every place in Australia will be able to enjoy the spectacle, weather complying. The further away an observer is from the path of totality, the less of the Sun will be eclipses. Here are some examples: Dili (Timor Leste) - 98%; Rabaul - 76.5%; Port Moresby - 67.3%; Alice Springs - 57.6%; Cairns - 52.7%; Jakarta - 49.6%; Adelaide - 32.4%; Sunshine Coast (Queensland) - 28.4%; Brisbane - 27.0%; Melbourne - 20.5%; Canberra - 19.2%; Auckland - 6.5%; Wellington - 1.1%.
From Brisbane the partial phase will begin at 1:43 pm, maximum eclipse (27%) will occur at 2:44 pm, and the eclipse will end at 3:41 pm. The duration will be 1 hour 58 minutes.
HOW TO OBSERVE A SOLAR ECLIPSE SAFELY:
Do not look directly at the Sun with your naked eye, or through glasses, sun glasses, even very dark sunglasses, or welding goggles.
Do not use home-made filters, only special solar filters such as eclipse glasses or approved hand-held solar viewers, to view the eclipse.
Read and follow filter instructions, and supervise children carefully.
Inspect your solar viewer before using it. If it has a scratch or any other damage, even if only minor, discard it.
Pinhole projection is a safe way to view the Sun indirectly: make a pinhole in a piece of white card. Do not look at the Sun through the pinhole but let the Sun shine though the pinhole to make an image on a second piece of white card held a short distance from the first one. Click here for a video.
ANNULAR, OCTOBER 15 (AEST):
This
annular eclipse
of the Sun will only be visible from North, Central and South America. The path
of totality will strike the US west coast near Salem, Oregon (north of San
Francisco) and head south-east, passing near Boise, Idaho, Salt Lake City in
Utah, Albuquerque in New Mexico, and Houston, Texas before crossing the Gulf of
Mexico. It crosses the Belize Peninsula at Belmopan, then passes through Managua
in Nicaragua, San Jose in Costa Rica, Panama City, Bogota in Colombia before
entering Brazil. It turns east across the Amazon jungle and reaches the South
Atlantic coast in the vicinity of Recife. The eclipse ends before reaching
Equatorial Africa.
This eclipse will not be visible from Queensland's Sunshine Coast as it occurs when the Sun is below our horizon.
Observers on
Queensland's Sunshine Coast will
have a chance to see a total solar
eclipse at 12:56 pm on July 22, 2028, the eclipse
track running from Wyndham through Alice Springs to Birdsville and then Sydney,
before crossing the Tasman Sea to Dunedin in New Zealand's South Island.
The Planets in 2023:
Mercury:
January
3:
Perihelion
January 7: Inferior conjunction
January
18:
Western stationary point
January
30:
Greatest elongation from Sun in morning sky (24
February 16:
Aphelion
March 17: Superior
conjunction
April 1:
Perihelion
April 12: Greatest
elongation from Sun in evening sky (19
April 21:
Eastern stationary point
May 2: Inferior conjunction
May 15:
Aphelion
May 15: Western stationary point
May 29: Greatest elongation from Sun in
morning sky
(24
June 28:
Perihelion
July 1: Superior
conjunction
August 10: Greatest
elongation from Sun in evening sky (27
August 11:
Aphelion
August 24: Eastern stationary point
September 6: Inferior conjunction
September 16: Western stationary
point
September 22: Greatest
elongation from Sun in morning sky (17
September
24: Perihelion
October 20: Superior conjunction
November 7:
Aphelion
December 5: Greatest elongation from Sun in evening sky (21
December 13:
Eastern stationary point
December 21:
Perihelion
December 23:
Inferior conjunction
The best times for observing Mercury in the evening sky are: last two weeks of April; mid-July to late August, mid-November to mid-December.
The best times for observing Mercury in the morning sky are:
mid-January to second
week of February, mid-May to third week of June, last two weeks of September,
2024: January to first two weeks in February.
Venus:
April 18:
Perihelion
June 5:
Greatest elongation from Sun in evening sky (45
July 23:
Eastern stationary point
August 8:
Aphelion
August 13: Inferior
conjunction
September 4:
Western stationary point
September 24: Greatest
elongation from Sun in morning sky (46
November 28:
Perihelion
June 5, 2024:
Superior conjunction
From
January to the end of July, Venus will be a dominant object in the western twilight sky as an 'Evening Star'.
In mid-April it will
appear as a little 'gibbous Moon' with a phase of 72% and a diameter of 15 arcseconds. At the
beginning of June it will appear like a small 'half-Moon' with a
phase of 50%, but its diameter will have increased to 23.5 arcseconds. By the
middle of July its phase will have reduced to 20% (like a crescent Moon), but
as its angular size will have increased to 42 arcseconds, its brightness will
remain unchanged at magnitude -4.6. Venus will pass through inferior
conjunction (between the Earth and the Sun) on August 13, and will therefore move
from the evening sky to the pre-dawn sky. Whereas on very rare occasions Venus
will pass in front of the Sun at such times (a 'transit of Venus'), on this
occasion Venus will pass 7.5
October 2022 June 2023 July 2023 September 2023 October 2023
Mars:
January 13: Eastern stationary point (angular diameter = 13.1")
Jupiter:
April 12: Conjunction
Saturn:
February 17: Conjunction
Uranus:
January 23: Eastern stationary pointUranus will spend 2023 in the constellation of Aries, where it will remain until it enters Taurus on May 17, 2024.
Neptune:
March 16: ConjunctionNeptune begins the year In Aquarius, but crosses into Pisces on March 3. It will remain in Pisces until April 12, 2028.
Pluto:
January 19: ConjunctionPluto begins the year in Sagittarius, but crosses into Capricornus on March 1, heading east. It will begin its annual retrograde loop on May 2 and will move westwards back into Sagittarius on July 9, reaching opposition on July 22. It will finish its retrograde loop on October 11 and will cease its westwards motion. Pluto will resume its eastwards motion, and will cross back into Capricornus on January 3, 2024. Pluto will leave Capricornus on March 13, 2039.
Meteor Showers:
January
4: Quadrantids
February 8: Alpha-Centaurids
April
22: Lyrids
The 3.9 metre Anglo-Australian Telescope near Coonabarabran, NSW
The main Constellations visible at about 8.00 pm each month, from the horizon to the zenith:
January:
East:
Hydra, Canis Minor, Canis Major, Puppis
South: Crux, Musca,
Carina, Vela, Pavo
West: Aquarius, Capricornus, Pisces, Grus,
Piscis Austrinus, Phoenix, Cetus, Eridanus
North: Aries, Perseus, Taurus, Auriga,
Gemini, Orion
February:
East:
Leo, Crater, Corvus, Hydra, Canis Major, Puppis
March:
East:
Virgo, Libra, Lupus, Centaurus, Corvus, Crater, Hydra, Crux, Musca, Vela
South: Triangulum Australe, Toucan,
Carina, Puppis
West: Phoenix, Cetus, Eridanus, Taurus,
Orion, Canis Major
North: Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Canis Minor
April:
East:
Bootes, Libra, Scorpius, Virgo, Centaurus, Lupus, Ara, Crux, Musca, Corvus
South: Triangulum Australe, Pavo, Carina,
Vela
West: Eridanus, Orion, Gemini, Canis
Minor, Canis Major, Puppis
North: Cancer, Ursa Major, Leo, Crater, Hydra
May:
East:
Corona Borealis, Serpens, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Libra, Scorpius, Ara,
Lupus, Centaurus
South: Indus, Pavo, Triangulum Australe, Crux,
Musca, Carina
West: Canis Major, Canis Minor, Cancer,
Puppis, Hydra
North: Ursa Major, Leo, Coma Berenices,Bootes,
Virgo, Crater, Corvus
June:
East:
Ophiuchus, Capricornus, Sagittarius, Scorpius
South: Pavo, Triangulum Australe, Ara,
Lupus, Crux, Musca
West: Hydra, Leo, Carina, Vela, Puppis,
Crater, Corvus
North: Coma Berenices, Bootes, Corona Borealis,
Hercules, Virgo, Serpens, Libra
July:
East:
Aquarius, Delphinus, Grus, Capricornus, Aquila, Sagittarius, Scorpius
South: Carina, Musca, Crux, Ara, Triangulum Australe,
Centaurus
West: Hydra, Crater, Corvus, Virgo, Vela,
Libra
North: Bootes, Corona Borealis, Hercules,
Lyra, Ophiuchus, Serpens
August:
East:
Aquarius, Phoenix, Piscis Austrinus, Grus, Sagittarius
South: Eridanus, Musca, Crux, Triangulum
Australe
West: Corvus, Virgo, Bootes, Libra,
Centaurus, Ara, Lupus, Scorpius
North: Corona Borealis, Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus,
Delphinus, Aquila
September:
East:
Pisces, Cetus, Eridanus, Phoenix, Piscis Austrinus, Grus, Aquarius,
Capricornus
South: Crux, Musca, Triangulum Australe, Pavo
West: Centaurus, Libra, Serpens,
Ophiuchus, Scorpius, Lupus, Ara
North: Lyra, Cygnus, Pegasus, Delphinus,
Aquila
October:
East:
Eridanus, Cetus, Aries, Piscis Austrinus
South: Hydrus, Centaurus, Musca,
Triangulum Australe, Ara, Pavo, Grus
West: Lupus, Scorpius, Ophiuchus,
Sagittarius, Aquila, Capricornus
North: Cygnus, Delphinus, Pegasus,
Andromeda, Aquarius
November:
East:
Taurus, Eridanus, Cetus, Phoenix
South: Carina, Musca, Triangulum Australe, Pavo
West: Scorpius, Sagittarius,
Aquila, Delphinus, Capricornus, Grus, Piscis Austrinus
North: Pegasus, Andromeda, Aries, Pisces,
Cetus, Aquarius
December:
East:
Taurus, Orion, Canis Major, Puppis, Carina, Eridanus
South: Carina, Musca, Pavo
West: Capricornus, Aquarius,
Grus, Piscis Austrinus, Phoenix
North: Pegasus, Andromeda, Aries, Perseus,
Cetus
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