There is little left and we will move on to the next year, 2022. Astronomers say that we will have at least 5 unmissable events that you have to watch in 2022 in terms of stargazing. The coming year offers many heavenly delights for those who observe the sky. We will have, including two months of bleeding, partial solar eclipses and several planetary encounters.
The year 2022 is full of astrological events
In 2022, the night sky promises to be full of cosmic wonders. Total lunar eclipses, nicknamed the “Blood Moon” for the deep red hue of the Moon when bathed in the shadow of the Earth, will be visible to billions of people.
Shining stars will pass through the sky without the bright moon drowning in light. And sky observers can watch a cluster of five of the brightest neighboring planets, all visible to the naked eye.
Under the right conditions, distant Uranus could even join the other five visible planets, being seen as a small point of green light in the sky. Here is an overview of some of the most spectacular celestial phenomena worth circling in your calendar for next year.
On January 3 and 4, a rain of Quadrantid meteorites reaches its peak
For viewers in the northern hemisphere, the first major meteor shower in 2022, Quadrantidele, peaked on the night of January 3 and in the early hours of the morning of January 4. The thin, crescent-shaped moon will set early in the evening, leaving a dark sky ideal during peak hours between midnight and dawn.
This New Year’s rain is known for producing brighter than average shooting stars, with 25 to 100 visible meteors per hour, depending on local light pollution.
Quadrantids take their name from the former constellation Quadrans Muralis, and the flaming space rocks appear to radiate from the northeast of the sky, right next to the handle of the Great Chariot.
Like all meteor showers, the best way to see as many shooting stars as possible is to find a place to watch away from the city lights and wait about 20 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to the darkness of the sun. at the end of the night or before dawn.
Between March 24 and April 5, 2022, Venus, Mars and Saturn in a planetary dance
From late March to early April, those who wake up early in both hemispheres will be able to see some of the brightest neighboring planets performing a majestic celestial ballet.
Look at the low sky in the southeast about an hour before the local sunrise to catch Venus, Mars and Saturn grouped in a tight triangular group. On March 27 and 28, the rising moon will pass the planetary party.
Observers of the sky watching the planets from one morning to the next will notice that their positions will change. The planets will form a triangle that will change its angles until after April 1, when the trio will appear in a straight line.
In early April, you can also see how Saturn will approach Mars until the two appear next to each other between April 3 and 5. The two planets will appear closest on April 4, when they will be separated by only half a degree of arc, equal to the width of the full moon.
On April 30 we will have the first partial solar eclipse
Two partial solar eclipses, when the Moon blocks part of the solar disk in the sky, will occur in 2022. The first will be visible in southern South America, parts of Antarctica and parts of the Pacific and Southern Oceans.
On April 30, the Moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun, the maximum eclipse will take place at 20:41 UT, when up to 64% of the solar disk will be covered by the Moon. To see the largest magnitude of the eclipse, spectators will have to be positioned in the Southern Ocean, west of the Antarctic Peninsula.
However, those who watch the eclipse in the southernmost parts of Chile and Argentina will be able to see about 60 percent of the sun covered by the moon.
Goggles are needed to safely see all phases of a partial solar eclipse. Even though the sun may not appear as bright in the sky, looking directly at it can seriously injure your eyes, so if you plan to see the eclipse on April 30, be sure to wear goggles that meet international safety standards.
On October 25, the second partial solar eclipse
On October 25, the Moon will bite from the Sun, when a partial eclipse of the Sun will cover the sky in most of Europe and the Middle East, as well as parts of West Asia, North Africa and Greenland.
Similar to the April 30 partial eclipse, this October event will take place when the Moon partially blocks the solar disk, as seen from Earth. Up to 86% of the sun will be covered for spectators in parts of Eurasia.
The moon’s silhouette will start to block some of the sun at 8:58 UT, and the maximum eclipse will occur at 11:00 UT. People in North and South America will not be lucky in this eclipse, because the partial solar eclipse will take place during the night in America.
The next solar eclipse for those looking at the sky west of the Atlantic will take place only on October 14, 2023, when an annular eclipse, or “ring of fire”, will be visible.
On November 7th and 8th we will have a total lunar eclipse
Residents of North and South America, Australia, Asia and parts of Europe will have the opportunity to watch the red moon for the second time in 2022, when a total lunar eclipse will occur during the night of November 7 and 8.
In the western United States and Canada, in eastern Russia, in New Zealand, and in parts of eastern Australia, skiers will have the opportunity to see the entire eclipse unfold.
Meanwhile, eastern North America and most of South America will be able to watch partial phases of the eclipse as the moon sets in the west.
The moon will begin to darken along its edge on November 8 at 3:03 am PT, and then its entire disk will plunge into the deepest central part of the Earth’s shadow at 2:59 am PT. The eclipse will end at 3:41 a.m. PT, ending another wonderful year of stargazing, according to National Geographic.
Conclusion. The year 2022, a year of astronomical spectacle
Therefore, in 2022 we will have real astronomical spectacles, some of which may be visible from Romania. The important thing is to have luck and clear skies so that we can see them in all their splendor.
