Midmonth Check-In: January 2023 - Favorite Pictures from 2022 and Astronomy Outlook for 2023

 Introduction

    I was intending to write an additional post sharing my favorite pictures from 2022 in addition to the Monthly Night Sky Report and the Midmonth Check-In. However, since I have decided to ease up on the number of constellations covered for the Messier objects, I thought the January mid-month post would be an excellent opportunity to share my favorite pictures and promote the astronomical events of 2023.

    Before diving into my favorite images, not all of which are related to astrophotography, and upcoming events of 2023, I will remind my readers what is still to come for the month of January. The most exciting event, in my opinion, of January is the conjunction between Venus and Saturn which will occur on the 22nd. There are also several close approaches between the Moon and the planets, the most notable of which are on the 23rd (Moon, Saturn, and Venus), the 25th (Jupiter), the 28th (Uranus), and the 30th (Mars). The Mars and Moon conjunction on the 30th will also result in the Moon passing between the Earth and Mars, blocking the Red Planet from view, for those below 37° north latitude. Through the end of January, all but one planet can be viewed after sunset. Saturn and Venus can be found near the western horizon, followed by Neptune and Jupiter towards the south. In the eastern sky, observers can see Uranus and Mars. Of course, a pair of binoculars or a telescope will need to be used to see Uranus and Neptune. Just before sunrise, Mercury can be found hugging the eastern horizon.  

    Additionally, a newly discovered comet (C/2022 E3 or ZTF) may reach naked-eye brightness towards the end of January and into the beginning of February. Scan the sky around Ursa Minor (Little Dipper) on the morning of the 25th. The comet is predicted to travel from the dipper end towards Polaris and into Camelopardalis. The comet brightness is extremely unpredictable, but ZTF is expected to reach 5.4 magnitude on February 1st. The best chance to view this comet is to get away from all sources of light pollution. The light-gathering power of binoculars and telescopes will help observers find this comet. This comet will appear greenish with a white tail extending away from the Sun.      

Eclipses

    This year will offer only one eclipse worth watching for Utahns. An Annular Solar Eclipse often referred to as a Ring-of-Fire eclipse, will occur on October 14th. Parts of central Utah will be in the direct path of this eclipse allowing observers to see the maximum amount of the Sun eclipsed by the Moon. Check out this link from Time and Date to view a map of the eclipse path. I have a trip planned to travel to Richfield, Utah to view this eclipse. I encourage any interested observers to make arrangements now instead of waiting until the last minute!    

Meteor Showers

    Each month offers a meteor shower, but only a few of them are truly worth checking out due to the high number of meteors that can be observed. In years passed, we have seen many of the best meteor showers becoming obstructed by the full or nearly full Moon. This year, a few meteors showers will stand out. The first will be the Eta Aquariids which peaks on May 6th. There will be a Full Moon present, but observers willing to view this shower about three hours before sunrise should be rewarded. This shower offers bright meteors with a rate of up to 50 meteors per hour.

    The Bootid Meteor Shower will peak on June 27th under a First Quarter Moon. Observers should wait until around midnight, when the Moon has nearly set, to view this shower. The rate of meteors varies but outbursts have been known to occur.

    The Southern Delta Aquariids will peak on July 28th with a Waxing Gibbous Moon. Interested observers should begin to view this shower shortly after midnight when the Moon will be close to the western horizon. Jupiter will be shining brightly near the radiant of this shower which will allow for a spectacular chance for astrophotographers. The Southern Delta Aquariids will offer up to 25 meteors per hour.

    As one of the most anticipated meteor showers of the year, the Perseids will peak on August 13th with a Waning Crescent Moon in the sky. This shower will have an approximate rate of 100 meteors per hour. I have a trip planned to a dark sky location so that I can better view this shower. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate!

    The Orionid Meteor Shower will peak on October 21st with a First Quarter Moon in the sky. Observers should wait until midnight when the Moon is close to the western horizon to view this shower. The Orionids have a rate of 20 bright meteors per hour.

    The final meteor shower of 2023 is the Geminids which peaks on December 14th. This shower will have a rate of 150 meteors per hour under a nearly Moon-free sky. Typically, the Geminids are not the brightest meteor shower, but the number of meteors that can be seen makes this a worthy shower to watch. 

    If an observer is able to only see one or two meteor showers in 2023, I recommend the Perseids in August and the Geminids in December. Under dark skies, these showers are sure to impress any stargazer.     

Planetary Conjunctions

    Conjunctions can be seen in the night sky when two or more objects are close together from our vantage point on Earth. I will focus solely on upcoming planetary conjunctions in 2023. The first will occur on January 22nd between Venus and Saturn. These two planets will be found with less than 1° of separation. 

    Venus and Neptune will have a planetary conjunction on February 15. This pair of planets will have less than 1° of separation between them. Venus and Neptune will be found in the western sky after sunset.

    March will offer observers the chance to view three separate planetary conjunctions. The first will occur on March 2nd and involve Mercury and Saturn. These two planets will have about 0.5° of separation. The second planetary conjunction of March will also occur on the 2nd between Jupiter and Venus. This pair of planets will have less than 0.5° of separation. The final planetary conjunction in March will occur on the 31st. On this date, Venus and Uranus can be found just over 1° apart. 

    June will offer observers the chance to see a planetary conjunction between Mercury and Uranus. This will occur on the 3rd. These planets will have about 2.5° of separation.

    The final planetary conjunction of 2023 will occur on July 26th. Venus and Mercury can be found just over 5° apart in the evening sky. These two planets will sink below the western horizon shortly after sunset. 

Planets

    The second planet from the Sun is currently considered the Evening Star and is easy to spot due to its albedo, or the ability to reflect light. Venus will continue to be known as the Evening Star until July. After July, Venus will return to the morning sky and be known as the Morning Star. The phases of Venus change regularly, so interested observers should view this planet often.

    The Red Planet is currently shining brightly and easy to spot in the night sky. As the year progresses, however, Mars will move farther away from Earth, growing smaller and fainter in the night sky. By September, Mars will be lost from view and won't return until 2024. Be sure to check out the Red Planet while you can! 

    Jupiter is currently an easy target to spot in the early evening sky. However, this planet is moving closer to the Sun from our vantage point and will be lost from view in April when it reaches conjunction with the Sun. After this time, Jupiter will move into the morning sky. This gas giant will rise later each day until finally reaching opposition in November. Jupiter is always a great target through any size of telescope and is sure to impress observers. 

    The ringed planet, Saturn, will reach conjunction with Venus at the end of January. A few short weeks later, Saturn will reach conjunction with the Sun and be lost from view. Saturn will return to view in March and will remain a great telescopic target throughout 2023. The best time to view Saturn will be in August when it reaches opposition.

Best Images of 2022

    Unfortunately, I was unable to take as many pictures of the night sky in 2022 as I have in past years. So, all of the pictures that I am sharing were taken between the 23rd and 25th of September near Spirit Lake, which is in the Uintah Mountains. The first three pictures show the road and scenery on the way to Spirit Lake.

The long dirt road and fall colors near Spirit Lake.

A dirt road through Ashley National Forest.

 

Autumn colors and clear skies near Spirit Lake.

    The image below is a late afternoon panorama of Spirit Lake. The air temperature was in the low 40s or high 30s at this point in the day.

    

Panorama of Spirit Lake.

    The Ashley National Forest is home to many small lakes, including Spirit Lake. We were able to hike to one of these nearby lakes known as Jessen Lake. The images below show part of the hike and Jessen Lake.

Scenic view near Jessen Lake.

Jessen Lake.

Panorama of Jessen Lake.

Rocky shore of Jessen Lake.

    After getting back to camp and waiting for darkness, we set up some gear to take images of the night sky. Unfortunately, it was really cold at night, several degrees below freezing, so we were unable to utilize all of the gear that we took and unable to capture as many images as we would have liked. Below are the best ones we were able to capture.

Stars through the trees shortly after sunset.

Northern Milky Way and Andromeda (upper right) from the dock at Spirit Lake. 

Southern Milky Way Band with elongated stars due to dock movement.

Tree, stars, American flag, and Northern Milky Way Band (right).

Southern Milky Way Band with a campfire.

Sirius and Orion in the Ashley National Forest.

    I hope that 2023 will bring something for all types of observers to view. You can stay up to date with astronomical happenings throughout the year by reading my blog. Be sure to keep your eyes on the sky!

Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts.  You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.  

    

Now get outside and look up!