This year our night sky will light up with an abundance of remarkable sightings. With a number of happenings to witness, here are the astronomical events of 2023 that you should put in your calendar now:
1 March – Venus and Jupiter
Although the planets will be separated by millions of kilometres in space, on 1 March, Venus and Jupiter will appear to be nearly touching each other.
The illusion will be easiest to spot after the sun goes down, and can be glimpsed through some binoculars or a telescope.

21 June – Winter solstice and conjunction
Throughout the entirety of June, Venus and Mars will appear as if they are grouped together due to their placement on the same astronomical line.
On the first official day of winter, 21 June, Venus, Mars and the moon will form a triangle in the night sky. The trio will be shining so brightly that people everywhere should be able to witness this without special equipment.

Also read: Fun activities to check out in Cape Town during the full moon
13-14 August – Perseid meteor shower
The Perseid meteor shower, which will fill the sky with slinging meteors, may be difficult to view from our spot on the globe. But it’s something worth keeping an eye out for.
The extensive shower of meteors will be active from 14 July to 1 September, reaching its peak on the night of 12 August. It is predicted that up to 100 meteors per hour will be flying around during the peak.

27 August – Saturn opposition
During the Saturn opposition, Earth will sit perfectly between Saturn and the sun. This is the time during Saturn’s orbit in which the planet is closest to Earth.
Saturn will be visible without special equipment, but a telescope would be useful to get a closer view of the planet and its famous rings.

14 October – “Ring of fire” solar eclipse
A “ring of fire” solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, sun and moon are all in alignment but the moon is far enough away from the Earth to not completely block it.
With the moon in front of the sun, a fiery reddish-orange glow will be seen around the moon. Although we are not in the prime geographical position to watch this event, it is still worth checking for.

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Picture: Unsplash