ORLANDO, Fla. – If the weather cooperates, 2023 will go out with a bang when it comes to events in our night sky.
Dec. 3: Best Mercury viewing
Mercury will be at its highest point above our horizon in the evening sky and therefore will be the best time to view it. Mercury is a hard planet to observe due to its proximity to the sun.
Look for Mercury low in the western sky just after sunset.
Dec. 12: Occultation of Betelgeuse
You’re going to have to travel a little bit for this one, but it’s really cool!
Only a select few people in the U.S. will be able to see this rare event. On Dec. 12, an asteroid (319 Leona) is going to move in front of one of the brightest stars in our night sky. Asteroid Leona will block the light of the iconic orange star Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse makes up the shoulder of the well-known constellation Orion.
This is only visible from the Florida Keys and extreme south Florida in the U.S. This will also be visible, however, in parts of southern Europe.
For about 10 seconds, just before 8:30, it will look like the star has gone missing as the asteroid occults Betelgeuse.
Dec. 13, 14: Geminid meteor shower peaks
The king of meteor showers makes its yearly return in the middle of December. The Geminids in completely dark skies can produce more than 100 meteors per hour. In addition to the quantity, the Geminids also have a special quality. Typically meteor showers are produced by leftover comet debris.
These meteors are produced by debris left over from an asteroid and contain different elements. When they burn up in the atmosphere they produce color based on the element, similar to how fireworks get their color.
The nearly new moon means that moonlight won’t dim the fainter meteors.
The best viewing time will be after midnight when the constellation Gemini, where the meteors appear to fall out from, will be higher in the sky.
Meteor showers are best observed with the naked eye. It’s best to be away from city lights and allow about 15-30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Be patient! Meteor showers are notorious for having lulls and spurts during the show.
Dec. 27: Full moon
The full “cold moon” reaches peak illumination just after 7 p.m.
If you snap any photos of these events submit them to PinIt!
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