2022: The Astronomical Year Ahead



Dear Stargazer Friends,

I hope you have been well. Very pleased to present you a preview of the Astronomical Events in 2022! In this special issue, you’ll find a selection of key astronomical events that are waiting to be discovered next year. I will continue to publish a monthly Astronomical Calendar usually every month.

The new year will begin with the Crescent Moon, Mars and Antares visible shorty before sunrise (SE) and in the evening with Venus, Mercury, Saturn and Jupiter who will appear along the ecliptic (look S/SW right after sunset). The Quadrantid Meteor Shower on 3 January 2022 will be just after New Moon (2.1.2022 at 19:33 CET), so, weather permitting, an ideal night to look for meteors.

Venus will become a morning “star” starting mid-January and until October. On 12 February, it will reach max. magnitude (-4.86).

In 2022 we’ll have four eclipses. The partial Solar eclipse on 30 April will not be observable from the northern hemisphere. But the total Lunar eclipse on 16 May will be at least partially visible from Europe (05:11 CET). On 25 October there will be a partial Solar eclipse (at least partially visible from Europe), on 8 November a total Lunar eclipse (not visible from Europe).

For more details please scroll down.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas/Happy Holiday Season and all the best in 2022!

Clear Skies!
Isa

Rosette nebula in H-alpha; picture by Isabel Streit

All times refer to UTC+1/CET

Equinoxes and Solstice 2022

Vernal Equinox (Spring)20 March 2022 – 1533 UTC
Summer Solstice (Summer)21 June 2022 – 0914 UTC
Autumnal Equinox (Fall) 22/23 September 2022 – 0104 UTC (on 23 September) 
Winter Solstice (Winter)21 December 2022 – 2148 UTC
Source: https://www.weather.gov/media/ind/seasons.pdf

Meteor Showers in 2022

Quadrantids 26 December 2021 – 16 January 2022Peak on 2-3 January night. Favorable New Moon night
Lyrids 15 April – 29 April 2022Peak on 21-22 April. Moon will be 67% full.
Perseids 14 July – 1 September 2022Peak on 11-12 August. Unfortunately, during Full Moon.
Orionids 26 September – 22 November 2022Peak on 20-21 October. Moon 21% full so quite favorable conditions.
Leonids 3 November – 2 December 2022Peak on 17-18 November. Moon 36% full.
Source: American Meteor Society, Meteor Shower Calendar 2021-2022 https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/

Planets

For local times go to In-The-Sky.org

Mercury will be visible in early January, end of April and end of December in the early evening (W).

Venus will be at inferior conjuction on 9 January 2022 and will become a morning object starting mid-January until October. It will reach maximum magnitude on 12 February. Starting December Venus will become an evening “star” again. But – depending on your horizon – it will be well observable again only end of January 2023.

Mars will be observable from early morning starting end of January/mid February. From November it will be visible all night.

Jupiter will be visible only for a short time after sunset in January 2022 (SW). Starting April it will be visible early mornings before sunrise. End of July it will be visible at around 23:00 and will remain visible in the evening/night until March 2023.

Saturn is visible early mornings starting end of March (30 March at around 6.20 look for Venus, Mars and Saturn SE). By end of August, it will be visible in the evening at around 21:00.

Uranus is visible from January until mid-March in the evening, from July around 3 a.m., August second part of night, October before midnight, November in the evening.

Neptune is visible in January and until early February in the evenings; After that it will become invisible until early May when it will appear again at dawn.

Preliminary outlook for 2022

January

Deep Sky Objects to observe in Winter: Messer 42 (Orion Nebula), Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33), The Pleiades (Messier 45 in Taurus); Messier 41 (Little Beehive Cluster in Canis Majoris).

01        Crescent Moon, Mars & Antares visible shorty before sunrise, look SE
01        Venus, Mercury, Saturn and Jupiter visible along the ecliptic; look S/SW right after sunset
02        New Moon at 19:33 CET
03        Quadrantid Meteor Shower
09        Venus at Inferior Conjunction
09        First Quarter Moon at 19:11 CET
13        Pleiades conjunction with Moon at 01:58 CET
18        Full Moon at 00:49
23        Venus at Perihelion
23        Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
25        Last Quarter Moon at 14:41 CET
27        Antares at 3.7° of Moon

February

01        New Moon at 06:46 CET
02        Jupiter at 4.2°N of Moon at 22:08 CET
08        First Quarter Moon at 14:50 CET
09        Pleiades 4.1°N of Moon
12        Venus at -4.86 mag. (max.) early morning SE
13        Pollux 2.6°N of Moon
16        Full Moon at 17:57 CET
23        Last Quarter Moon at 23:32 CET
24        Antares 3.5°S of Moon at 06:17 CET

March

Deep Sky Objects to observe in Spring: Virgo Cluster of Galaxies in Virgo; Leo Triplet (M66, M65 & NGC 3628), Group of Galaxies in Leo

01        Saturn 4.3°N of Moon at 00:47 CET
02        New Moon at 18:35 CET
08        Pleiades 3.8°N of Moon at 17:46
10        First Quarter Moon 11:45
16        Venus 3.9°N of Mars at 05:00
18        Full Moon at 08:17
20        Vernal Equinox at 16:33
23        Venus and Mars appear close at dawn, S/SE
25        Last Quarter Moon at 06:37
28        Mars 4.1°N of Moon at 03:54
29        Venus 2.1°N of Saturn at. 02:00

April

01        New Moon at 07:24
05        Mars 0.3°S of Saturn at 03:00
09        First Quarter Moon at 07:47
16        Full Moon at 19:55
22        Lyrid Meteor Shower
23        Last Quarter Moon at 12:56
24        Saturn 4.5°N of Moon 21:56
25        Moon, Saturn, Mars and Venus appear close at dawn, E/SE
27        Venus 3.8°N of Moon at 02:51
27        Jupiter 3.6°N of Moon at 09:23
30        Venus 0.2°S of Jupiter at 21:00
30        New Moon at 21:28
30        Partial Solar Eclipse; mag=0.640 (not visible from northern hemisphere) at 21:41

May

01        Venus and Jupiter appear very close at dawn, E
06        Pollux 2.1°N of Moon at 23:56
09        First Quarter Moon at 01:21
15        Venus at Aphelion at 16:00
16        Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.414 at 05:11
16        Full Moon at 05:14
17        Antares 3.1°S of Moon at 03:48
22        Saturn 4.5°N of Moon at 05:43
22        Last Quarter Moon at 19:43
24        Mars 2.8°N of Moon at 20:24
25        Jupiter 3.3°N of Moon at 00:59
27        Venus 0.2°N of Moon: Occn. at 03:52
29        Mars 0.6°S of Jupiter at 10
30        New Moon at 12:30

June

07        First Quarter Moon at 15:48
14        Full Moon at 12:52
15        Moon at Perigee: 357434 km at 00:21
18        Saturn 4.3°N of Moon at 13:22
21        Last Quarter Moon at 04:11
21        Summer Solstice at 10:14
21        Mars at Perihelion:  1.38130 AU at 14:00
22        Mars 0.9°N of Moon: Occn. at 19:1629        
29        New Moon at 03:52

July

Interesting Dark Sky Objects to observe in summer: Messier 11 (Wild Duck Cluster) in Scutum; Messier 101 (Pinwheel Galaxy) in Ursa Majoris; Messier 17 (Omega Nebula in Sagittarius).

01        Venus 4.0°N of Aldebaran at 03:45
07        First Quarter Moon at 03:14
10        Mercury at Perihelion at 23:00
11        Antares 3.0°S of Moon at 00:50
13        Moon at Perigee: 357264 km at 10:08
13        Full Moon at 19:37
15        Saturn 4.0°N of Moon at 21:16
19        Jupiter 2.2°N of Moon at 01:55
20        Last Quarter Moon at 15:18
21        Mars 1.1°S of Moon: Occn. at 17:46
28        Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
28        New Moon at 18:55

August

03        Spica 4.6°S of Moon at 22:26
05        First Quarter Moonat at 12:06 
10        Moon at Perigee: 359830 km at 18:14
12        Full Moon at 02:36
12        Saturn 3.9°N of Moon at. 04:55
13        Perseid Meteor Shower
14        Saturn at Opposition at 18:00
19        Last Quarter Moon at 05:36
25        Venus 4.3°S of Moon at 21:58
27        New Moon at 09:17

September

Interesting Deep Sky Objects to observe in Autumn: Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31), Triangulum Galaxy (Messier 33), Great Star Cluster in Hercules (Messier 13)

03        First Quarter Moon at 19:08
05        Venus at Perihelion at 00:00
06        Mars 4.2°N of Aldebaran at 22:28
07        Moon at Perigee: 364491 km at 19:17
10        Full Moon at 10:59
10        Full Moon, Jupiter and Saturn visible in the evening, SE
17        Mars 3.6°S of Moon at 02:41
17        Last Quarter Moon at 22:52
23        Autumnal Equinox at 02:04
25        New Moon at 22:54  
26        Jupiter at Opposition at 19:00

October

03        First Quarter Moon at 01:14
05        Saturn 4.1°N of Moon at 16:51
08        Jupiter 2.1°N of Moon at 19:06 – SE
09        Full Moon at 21:55 
13        Pleiades 2.7°N of Moon at 04:46
15        Mars 3.6°S of Moon at 05:28 (in Taurus)
17        Last Quarter Moon at 18:15 
21        Orionid Meteor Shower
22        Venus at Superior Conjunction 
25        New Moon at 11:49
25        Partial Solar Eclipse; mag=0.862 at 12:00

November

01        First Qurater Moon at 07:37
01        Saturn 4.2°N of Moon at 22:08
04        Jupiter 2.4°N of Moon at 21:19
05        S Taurid Meteor Shower
08        Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.359 at 11:59 (not visible from Europe; visible in North- and South America, full duration from Northwest USA, Western Canada, Alaska, Japan and North-East Asia)
08        Full Moon at 12:02
09        Pleiades 2.7°N of Moon
11        Mars 2.5°S of Moon
12        N Taurid Meteor Shower
16        Last Quarter Moon at 14:27
18        Leonid Meteor Shower at 01:00
21        Spica 4.3°S of Moon at 04:36
23        New Moon at 23:5
30        First Quarter Moon at 15:36

December

01        Jupiter close to Moon – evening
08        Full Moon 05:08
08        Mars 0.5°S of Moon: Occn. 05:21, W
08        Mars at Opposition at 05:00
14        Geminid Meteor Shower
16        Last Quarter Moon at 09:56
21        Winter Solstice at 22:48
22        Ursid Meteor Shower
23        New Moon at 11:17
26        Saturn 4.0°N of Moon at 17:11, S/SW
30        First Quarter Moon at   02:21

Sources

Sources:


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