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August 12: Perseids meteor shower -

By far the most popular annual celestial event of the year, the Perseids shower provides a spectacular light show that people can enjoy on the night of August 12.

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August 27: Saturn at opposition -

Saturn will be as close as ever to Earth on August 27, sitting at "opposition" to the sun with the Earth directly between them, meaning the sun will illuminate the planet all night long. Whip out your telescope to see the ringed planet in more detail than ever.

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September 19: Neptune at opposition -

Just a few weeks after Saturn's time in the limelight, it's Neptune's turn. The blue, icy planet will be visible all through the night of September 19, but only with a powerful backyard telescope, considering the blue giant is 2.7 billion miles (4.5 billion km) from Earth.

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September 23: Southward equinox -

In 2023, the Southward equinox falls on September 23. For the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the beginning of autumn; for the Southern Hemisphere, it brings in the first days of spring.

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October 7: Draconids meteor shower -

The Draconids meteor shower will be in full force on October 7. The Draconids is unique in that it is easiest seen in the early evening, just after sunset, as opposed to most meteor showers that are brightest in the early hours of the morning.

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October 14: Ring of fire eclipse -

On October 14, people in North and South America will get the chance to view an impressive annular, or "ring of fire," eclipse. In an annular eclipse, the moon appears slightly smaller than the sun, leaving a brilliant ring of light around the eclipse.

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October 21: Orionid meteor shower -

The objects of the Orionid meteor shower seem to burst out of the constellation Orion, but they are in fact old rocks torn from Halley's Comet and left trailing in its wake long ago. Catch the brilliant Orionid spectacle on the night of October 21.

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October 28: Partial lunar eclipse -

Asia, Africa, and Europe will be treated to a spectacular partial lunar eclipse on October 28, when the Earth's shadow will eerily pass over a portion of the moon.

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November 3: Jupiter at opposition -

Jupiter will have its turn at opposition on November 3. Take a pair of binoculars outside, and, weather permitting, you might even be able to catch a glimpse of the Gas Giant's moons.

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November 17: Leonid meteor shower -

The Leonid meteor shower is a dependable meteor shower that will be at its busiest in 2023 on November 23. But while 2023's spectacle is sure to dazzle, the real treat will come in 2034, when the Leonid's 33-year cycle will reach its peak, lighting up the sky with hundreds of meteors per hour.

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December 13: Geminid meteor shower -

Unlike the Leonid shower, the annual Geminid meteor shower is a consistently cramped affair, easily producing upwards of 120 meteors per hour.

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December 22: Southern solstice -

The year closes out with the southern solstice on December 22. On this day, the sun will be closer to the South Pole than on any other day of the year, making it the longest day of summer for the Southern Hemisphere, and the shortest day of winter for the Northern Hemisphere.

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Past celestial events - Now, let's look back at some of the most exciting astronomical wonders that have already occurred in 2023. 

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January 28 - February 21: α-Centaurid meteor shower -

Stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere were able to enjoy the α-Centaurid (Alpha Centaurid) meteor shower at its height on February 8, although the shower lasted a month between the end of January and February.

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February 22: Lunar occultation -

Viewers at the furthest tips of the Southern Hemisphere witnessed the phenomenal lunar occultation of Jupiter, during which the moon crossed over the face of Jupiter.

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March 1: Venus Jupiter conjunction -

One of the major celestial events to take place so far this year was the magnificent Venus Jupiter conjunction. A conjunction occurs when a planet appears close to another planet, star, or moon. The two planets had been growing closer and closer together during the previous weeks, and reached their closest point on March 1. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and Venus is the brightest so they put on quite a show. The spectacle was visible to the naked eye and the two planets looked like they were only a moon's width apart from our perspective down here on Earth. In reality, they were still 400 million miles (600 million km) apart. This is the closest the two planets are likely to come until 2032.

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March 20: The vernal equinox -

The vernal equinox might not be a visually stunning event, but it is celestially important nonetheless. March 20 marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and most of the world will experience an equal amount of daylight and moonlight as the sun shines directly on the equator.

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April 5: Pink Moon -

April's full moon is known as the Pink Moon, referring to the arrival of spring flowers rather than the color of the moon itself. Rather, skywatchers were treated to a beautiful view of the fully illuminated face of the moon. 

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April 11: Venus and the Seven Sisters -

Venus, the second planet from the sun, got quite cozy with the brilliant Seven Sisters stars of the Pleiades cluster. These radiant objects appeared to shine together, despite being more than a quadrillion miles away from each other in actuality.

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April 20: Hybrid solar eclipse -

In the early hours of April 20, skywatchers in the Eastern Hemisphere were treated to a particularly rare sight. A hybrid solar eclipse took place early on Thursday morning as the moon passed between the sun and the Earth. It's known as a hybrid eclipse because the moon blocks the sun like a total eclipse, but we still see a solar ring around the moon instead, combining the total eclipse with the features of an annular eclipse. This only occurs a handful of times per century. The next hybrid solar eclipse is predicted to occur in 2031.

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April 23: Lyrid meteor shower -

The first truly magnificent meteor shower of the year reached its peak on the night of April 23. In the past, the Lyrid meteor shower has shot as many as 100 meteors across the sky per hour.

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May 6: Penumbral lunar eclipse -

The night of May 6 brought a penumbral lunar eclipse to Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. This is caused by the moon passing through the Earth's penumbra, or shadow. This subtle eclipse doesn't make the moon disappear entirely, but endows it with a soft, blue-gray hue.

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May 6: η-Aquariid meteor shower -

The η-Aquariid (Eta Aquariid) shower, made up of meteors that once broke off from the famous Halley's Comet, was at its busiest on the night of May 6, making May 6 one of the most exciting nights of the year for professional and amateur astronomers all over.

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May 17: Jupiter occultation -

The moon and Jupiter switched roles from their lunar occultation earlier in the year on May 17, when stargazers saw Jupiter fully disappear behind the moon, then reappear from the other side an hour later.

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June 4: Venus at its greatest elongation -

Venus, already the brightest planet in the sky, shone even brighter just after sunset on June 4 when it reached its greatest degree of elongation from the sun.

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July 3: Supermoon -

The first supermoon of 2023 appeared on the night of July 3. The full moon was closer than usual to Earth that night, making it appear even larger and brighter than usual.

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July 28: Delta Aquariid meteor shower -

The space debris left behind by the Marsden and Kracht comets make up the annual Delta Aquariid meteor shower, which reaches its peak on July 28. 

Sources: (National Geographic) (iTech Post) (Sea and Sky)

See also: How the planets affect our daily lives

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