2022 promises to be a year full of astronomical events not to be missed. The Moon and the Sun will give the show, playing hide and seek offering four spectacular eclipses, two of which are also visible from Italy. There will also be abundant meteor showers ready to illuminate the celestial vault and even an unusual parade of planets in early summer. To remind us of the dates to mark on the calendar is the astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project.
The year will open in a sparkling way with the meteor shower of the Quadrantids, “which will peak between January 3 and 4 without the disturbance of the Moon,” explains the expert.
On April 30th there will be the first partial solar eclipse, visible from the southernmost part of South America and the southeastern Pacific. The lucky ones will be the Argentines, who will be able to appreciate a coverage of the solar disk equal to 53%.
“On May 16 it will be the turn of the total eclipse of the Moon, which from Italy will only be partially visible at dawn”, remembers Masi. The first Red Moon of the year will be fully appreciable from America and partially from the western part of Europe and Africa.
Summer 2022 will be greeted by a parade of planets. “Between 20 and 27 June it will be possible to observe the five planets visible to the naked eye aligned: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn”, notes Masi. They can be admired together with the Moon, which will once again be the main protagonist on 13 July with the most spectacular Superluna of the year: it will in fact be full at a distance of ‘only’ 357,000 kilometers from the Earth.
In August there will then be the traditional appointment with the swarm of the Perseids, the ‘tears of San Lorenzo’, which will have to deal with the disturbance of the Moon. The night of August 15th will see Saturn in opposition to the Sun, therefore in the best conditions of observability, while the other giant planet, Jupiter, will take the stage by going to opposition on September 26th.
Autumn will be marked by the last two eclipses of the year. “On October 25 – Masi specifies – there will be a partial eclipse of the Sun, also visible from Italy with a coverage of the solar disk between 10% and 25%, while on November 8 there will be another total eclipse of Moon, unfortunately invisible from our country “.
In December the sky will dress up with the bright rain of the Geminids, disturbed by the Moon, while on December 8 it will have Mars as its great protagonist: the Red Planet will in fact be in opposition, and at dawn it will also be hidden by the Moon full.
.
Source From: Ansa
I am an author at Global happenings and I mostly cover automobile news. In my time working in the automotive industry, I have developed a keen interest in the latest developments and trends. My writing skills have also allowed me to share my knowledge with others through articles and blog posts.
