Astronomical forecasts show that the Quadrantid meteor shower is extremely large, the asteroid Pallas is closest to the earth, Venus and Saturn are accompanying the moon, Jupiter is conjunct the moon , Mercury is at the greatest distance to the west, Mars is conjunct the moon and other celestial phenomena will appear in the "Star Theater" in January 2023.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is commonly known as one of the "three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere". The hourly zenith flow rate (ZHR) is 110, and there is no shortage of bright bolide . The active period of the Quadrantid meteor shower is from December 28 to January 12 of the following year, with the peak between January 3 and 4.
This is the Quadrantid meteor shower (multiple pictures superimposed) taken by Tianjin astronomy enthusiast Zhao Zhongtian in Jizhou District, Tianjin on January 4, 2022. (Photo provided by me)
"In 2023, the meteor shower will reach its peak at 11:40 on January 4. Meteor shower enthusiasts can try naked-eye observation from after midnight on the 3rd to before dawn on the 4th. As the peak value of the Quadrantid meteor shower continues The time is very short, and the number of meteors will drop sharply after the maximum. In addition, the lunar phase conditions are not very good, and the actual number of meteors that can be seen will be greatly reduced," said Xiu Lipeng, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and a director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society.
html On November 22, the No. 2 asteroid Pallas will pass close to its closest point. "Although Pallas was closest to the earth that day, its brightness was only magnitude 7.6 and could not be seen with the naked eye. It required a small astronomical telescope to observe." Xiu Lipeng said.NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and The scientific team of the University of Arizona produced a model of Pallas based on existing observational data (left picture); Pallas captured by the European Southern Observatory (right picture).
htmlOn November 23, Venus and Saturn will "conjunct" in the low sky in the southwest in the evening, performing a "star attraction". Interestingly, the crescent moon on the second day of the first lunar month will come to the double stars and perform the wonderful drama of "the moon accompanying the double stars".This is the Jupiter-moon conjunction taken by Tianjin astronomy enthusiast Li Yun in Tianjin on the evening of November 8, 2021. (Photo provided by Xingyuan Shanfeng Team)
html On November 26, Jupiter will appear in the night sky when it joins the moon. "As long as the weather is fine, at sunset that day, interested members of the public can clearly see a beautiful scene of the 'Star and Moon Fairy Tale' when facing the southwest sky, with the bright Jupiter and the small crescent moon accompanying each other at close range, competing to shine," Xiu Lipeng said.Mercury will be at its greatest western elongation on October 9, 2022. This is Mercury taken by Tianjin astronomy enthusiast Yang Jing in the early morning of October 10 at Jizhao Bridge in Dongli District, Tianjin. (Picture provided by me)
html On November 30, the mysterious Mercury will usher in its first major distance in the new year, which is a west distance . If the weather is fine and the atmospheric transparency is good enough, interested members of the public may see or observe this mysterious planet that is rarely seen with the naked eye or binoculars in the early mornings before and after this elongation.This is the Mars conjunction and moon taken near the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet on the evening of November 11, 2022. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jue Guo)
htmlOn November 31, Mars and the moon will make a shining appearance, playing the "Symphony of the Stars and the Moon." "If the weather is fine, interested members of the public will be able to clearly see the slightly reddish Mars and the waxing gibbous moon in the same frame by looking towards the southern sky that night," said Xiu Lipeng.Planner: Liu Xinhui
Reporter: Chow Runjian
Poster production: Feng Juan
Editor: Chong Dahai, Tang Jianhui
Xinhua News Agency Internal Affairs, Xinhua News Agency Tianjin Branch jointly produced
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Looking forward to it!
