Today is the last day of 2021, looking back at the major celestial phenomena of the year, we have experienced comets, lunar eclipses, meteor showers, space station transits/moons. So what to expect in 2022? Follow the footsteps of the editor to take a look!
overview:
1. Sun moon eclipse
In 2022, there is no total solar eclipse in the world, only 2 partial eclipses have occurred, of which the partial eclipse of October 25 can only be seen in the polar western region of China, and our Northern Corona Observatory is just in this eclipse belt, when the eclipse will be divided into 0.6 partial eclipses.
In 2022, there will be two total lunar eclipses, of which the total lunar eclipse on November 8 can be seen in most parts of China, and during the total lunar eclipse, a wonderful scene of lunar Oranus will be staged.
Total lunar eclipse on November 8 (beijing as an example)
Partial solar eclipse on October 25 (take the Northern Corona Observatory as an example)
Second, the meteor shower
Quadrant Meteor Group: January 4 extreme, ZHR~120, new moon, excellent observation conditions.
Perseus Meteor Group: August 13 is extremely large, ZHR ~100, close to the full moon, and the observation conditions are not good.
Gemini Meteor Group: December 14 is extremely large, ZHR ~150, the second quarter of the month, the first half of the night observation conditions are better.
(*ZHR refers to the number of meteors that appear per hour when a star of magnitude 6.5 above the head can be seen with the naked eye.) ）
January 4 The Quadrantids meteor shower is extremely large
The Quadrant Group of Meteors is a fairly significant annual group of meteors with bright and moderate velocity, active from December 28 to January 12. The forecast for this year's maximum occurs in the early morning of January 4, with a ZHR of about 120. The radiation point of the Pilitzid meteor swarm is near the head of the head of the Shepherd, and the radiation point rises from the northeast after midnight, and the new moon that night is very well observed.
Schematic diagram of the irispradium radiation point of the quadrant meteor shower
Third, planetary dynamics
The best time to observe for the inner planets is the "east distance" and the "west distance", and for the extraterrestrial planets, it is "rush". The dynamics of each planet are described below:
Mercury has made four east distances this year, at 19:4 on January 7, at 19.2 degrees from the Sun, at 16:9 on April 29, at 20.6 degrees from the Sun, at 0:14 at 0:14 on August 28, at 27.3 degrees from the Sun, and at 23:31 on December 21, at 20.1 degrees from the Sun. Both are seen in low western altitudes after sunset. Among them, the elevation angle from the ground plane is the highest at the second sunset, and the observation conditions are the best.
Mercury is the closest inner planet to the Sun and is more difficult to observe. When it is located at a great distance between east and west, it has the largest distance from the sun and is the best time to see Mercury. Mercury is located in the eastern distance of the Sun, and appears at dusk in the low western altitude; the western distance is located in the western part of the Sun, and appears at dawn in the eastern low altitude.
March 20 Venus West Daisetsu
Venus is an inner planet, so when it is located at a large distance, it is the largest and easiest to observe from the Sun. Venus reaches its position at west latitude at 17:25 on March 20, when Venus is 46.6 degrees west of the Sun, with a brightness of magnitude -4.5, and Venus can be seen in the east before sunrise.
Venus
Martian opposition: December 8.
Jupiter opposition: September 27.
Saturn opposition: August 15.
Uranus opposition: November 9.
Neptune opposition: September 17.
The minimum full moon and the largest full moon of the year
January 18 The minimum full moon of the year
July 14 The largest full moon of the year
This year's minimum full moon occurs at 7:48 a.m. on January 18, with a apparent diameter of 29.7 arc minutes. The Moon passed through the apogee at 17:26 on the 14th, making it the smallest full moon of the year. This year's largest full moon occurs at 2:38 a.m. on July 14, and the moon has a apparent diameter of 33.7 arc minutes. Since the Moon passes through perigee at 17:06 on the 13th, that day is the closest full moon of the year and the largest full moon.
March 20 Spring Equinox and ZodiacAllight
September 23 Autumn Equinox and ZodiacAllight
This year's vernal equinox is at 23:33 on March 20, when the Sun is at the ascending point of the ecliptic and the celestial equator, which is at 0 o'clock in the equatorial longitude and 0 degrees in the ecliptic longitude. At this time, the sunlight directly hits the earth's equator, and the day and night are equal in length.
The autumn equinox is at 9:04 on September 23, when the sun is at the intersection of the ecliptic and the celestial equator, that is, at 12 o'clock in the equatorial longitude and 180 degrees in the ecliptic longitude, which is also a day of direct sunlight on the equator and day and night.
The weeks around the Spring and Autumn Equinox are the best time to admire the zodiacal light. Zodiacal light is a scene caused by the reflection of sunlight by dust particles accumulating near the ecliptic surface, and the brightest area is almost as bright as the Milky Way, but it is less likely to be seen because it is close to the horizon, affected by the effect of atmospheric extinction and light damage. Around the spring and autumn equinox, the ecliptic light is more vertical ground, suitable for observation in areas without light damage.
April 13 Jupiter joins Neptune
"Conjunction" means that celestial bodies have the same longitude on the celestial sphere, and since the planets of the Solar System all orbit near the ecliptic plane, when the planets meet, they are fairly close in position in the sky. Several planetary conjunctions very close to the angle will occur from mid-April to early May. First, Jupiter and Neptune occur at 4 o'clock on April 13, and the distance between the two is only 0.11 degrees, jupiter is -2.7 magnitude, and Neptune is 7.8 magnitude. If viewed with a small telescope, Jupiter, Ganymede and Neptune can be seen in the same field of view. However, the difference in brightness between the two planets is not easy to photograph. The two planets, located in the constellation of Aquarius, did not rise until about 4:13 o'clock that day, and need to be observed in the east without shelter.
Computer software simulation, taking Beijing as an example
April 28 Venus meets Neptune
Neptune joined Jupiter on the 13th and Venus at 3 a.m. on April 28, with a distance of only 0.01 degrees. Venus has a magnitude of -4.2 and Neptune is 7.9 magnitudes. If observed with a small astronomical telescope, Venus and Neptune can be seen in the same field of view, but the difference in brightness is not easy to shoot. The two planets are located in the constellation of Aquarius, rising at about 3 o'clock and 16 o'clock, and need to be observed in the east without shelter.
May 1 Venus Gipiter
The best planetary conjunction of the year is Venus and Jupiter at 3 o'clock on May 1st! Both Venus and Jupiter are very bright: Venus is -4.1 magnitude bright, Jupiter is -2.1 magnitude, and the two stars are only 0.25 degrees apart, almost overlapping with eye observation. With binoculars or small telescopes, you can see Venus, Jupiter, and Jupiter coming together in the same field of view. The two planets are located in the constellation of Pisces, rising at 3:14 a.m. at sunrise at an elevation angle of about 25 degrees, which is higher than the previous two planetary conjunctions, making it easier to observe.
June 21 summer solstice
December 22 winter solstice
This year's summer solstice falls at 17:14 on June 21, when the sun reaches its 90-degree ecliptic longitude and the northernmost declination. Direct sunlight on the Tropic of Cancer is the longest day of the year and the shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
This year's winter solstice coincides with 5:48 a.m. on December 22, when the sun's position is at 270 degrees ecliptic longitude and the southernmost declination. Direct sunlight on the Tropic of Cancer is the shortest day of the year and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
August 13 Perseid meteor swarm is enormous
The Perseid meteor group is one of the main meteor groups of the year, active from July 17 to August 24,
This year's maximum is expected to reach around 100 ZHR on August 13, and the radiation point will rise east at about 22:00 at night. The moon was close to a full moon that night, and the observation conditions were not good.
Schematic diagram of the perseid meteor shower radiation points
August 15 Saturn impulse
At 1:10 a.m. on August 15 Saturn reached its impulse position in Capricorn, with an apparent diameter of 18.8", a brightness of 0.3 and so on. Saturn and the Sun are on either side of the Earth at the time of the rush, and the two ecliptic longitudes are separated by 180 degrees. The weeks before and after Saturn's impulse are good times to observe Saturn, which is the brightest time of the year, the largest apparent diameter, the closest to Earth, and can be observed all night.
Saturn
September 17 Neptune Rush
Neptune reached its impulse position at 6:21 a.m. on September 17, in the constellation of Aquarius, with a brightness of 7.8 magnitudes and an apparent diameter of 2.4". Sunset rises from east-south, sets west at dawn, and is visible all night. The planet with a blue hue can be found using small telescopes or astrophotography to compare star maps. It's also the perfect time of year to challenge the search for the planet with a small telescope.
Neptune
September 27 Jupiter rush
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, will reach its impulse position at 3:33 a.m. on September 27. Jupiter is located in the constellation of Pisces, with an apparent diameter of 49.9" and a brightness of about -2.9 magnitudes. The weeks before and after Jupiter's impulse are good times to observe Jupiter, which is the brightest time of the year, the largest apparent diameter, the closest to the Earth, and can be observed all night.
Jupiter
November 8: All meals
This total lunar eclipse is the 20th in the 136th Saro sequence, which can be seen in western North America and Japan; the lunar eclipse can be seen in East Asia, South Asia, and Australia; and the moon can be seen without eclipse in South America. In Taiwan, the moonrise eclipse can be seen, and the umbra eclipse can be seen throughout. The Moon ascended east at 17:02, and the total eclipse lasted 1:25.7 minutes, from the initial loss to the recovery, which lasted 3:40.5 minutes and the eclipse minute was 1.364. When a lunar eclipse occurs, the Moon is located in the constellation Aries.
Total eclipse
November 8 Moon Oranus
Because the Moon orbits the Earth, the Moon moves from west to east at about 13 degrees a day in the celestial sphere, obscuring the object as it passes between the distant object and the observer, called a lunar occultation. During an 8-day lunar eclipse, a rare lunar occultation of Uranus will occur. Due to the close proximity of the Moon and the equatorial horizon parallax of about 1°, there is a regional limit to the visible occultation and the time of recession varies from place to place. The start time is 19:22:14 (Beijing area).
November 9 Uranus rush
At 16:26 on November 9, Uranus reached its impulse position in the constellation Aries, with a brightness of 5.6 and an apparent diameter of 3.8". Sunset rises from the south-east and can be seen all night, making it the most observable time of the year. It is recommended to use binoculars with a star map search to identify the planet with a little turquoise color.
Uranus
December 8 Mars Rush
The rendezvous period of Mars is about 780 days, which is more rare than Jupiter's impulse, Saturn's opposition, etc., and Mars is very bright before and after the impact, which is the most concerned by astronomy enthusiasts. This year's Mars impulse occurred at 13:42 on December 8, in the constellation Taurus, with an apparent diameter of 17.0", a brightness of about -1.9, etc., and can be observed all night. In addition, Mars is closest to Earth at 10 a.m. on December 1, at a distance of about 8,100 million kilometers (0.54 AU).
Mars
December 14 Gemini meteor swarm is enormous
The Gemini Meteor Group is one of the most significant large meteor swarms of the year, active between December 4 and December 17. This year's Gemini meteor swarm is predicted to occur at a maximum of December 14, with a ZHR of about 150. The night of the maximum period is close to the second quarter of the month, and the observation conditions in the first half of the night are better.
Schematic diagram of gemini meteor shower radiation points
List of major weather forecasts for 2022
Key References:
NASA Solar eclipse website https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html/
Http://www.imo.net/
International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA)