Astronomical Events January 2023: Watch Out For Dancing Planets, Full Wolf Moon, and More!

Dancing planets, the full wolf moon, and many other wonderful astronomical events will take place in January 2023.

For those living in regions of the Northern Hemisphere experiencing extreme cold, January is typically mellow on reasons to go outside.

Fortunately, the first month of 2023 is spoiling night sky watchers with a variety of celestial wonders, including a comet that could be seen with the naked eye and a meteor shower that could produce eye-popping fireballs.

The Thing About Cold Nights

The best skywatching conditions of the year are made possible by the freezing temperatures, although they may not motivate people to go outside and look up. Winter weather is crystal clear because cold air is less humid than warm air. On the other hand, summer nights are typically muggy and hazy.

January 3 to 4: Quadrantids Meteor Shower

The Quadrantids are an annual meteor shower named after the constellation Quadrans Muralis, which appears to radiate from the easier-to-pronounce constellation Boötes. The International Astronomical Union no longer recognizes the Quadrans Muralis as a constellation.

The peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower lasts only a few hours, in contrast to other meteor showers throughout the year that have peak conditions for viewing that last one to two days. That's because the debris stream Earth travels through is perpendicularly intersected and thin (possibly the remains of an old comet). This year, that peak is anticipated to occur on January 3 at around 10:00 PM EST.

The Quadrantids, despite having a limited viewing window, are still regarded as one of the finest meteor showers of the year. If there are dark, clear skies, it will be displaying 60 to 200 shooting stars per hour. According to NASA, extremely bright and also long-lasting fireballs of different colors are possible because the debris is also bigger than other streams. View the shower as far away from light pollution as possible.

January 4: Perihelion

The sun and Earth's annual orbital dance will bring them in their closest proximity at roughly 11 AM EST on January 4th. "Perihelion" refers to the time when Earth is 3 million miles nearer to the sun than it was in June. According to EarthSky, it also reaches its fastest orbital speed, which is about 19 miles per second.

According to EarthSky, it also reaches its fastest orbital speed, which is about 19 miles per second.

January 6: Full 'Wolf' Moon

Native Americans in North America have also called the major lunar event in January the Cold Moon, Freeze Up Moon, Frost Exploding Moon, and Severe Moon. The Old Farmer's Almanac refers to it as the Full Wolf Moon. It is referred to as Mead Moon, Thunder Moon, and Hay Moon in Australia due to the more pleasant climate there.

View the Wolf Moon in all its splendor as it reaches full phase on January 6 at approximately 6:09 PM EDT.

All January: Naked-Eye Comet C/2022 E3

C/2022 E3 (ZTF), a long-period comet that was discovered in early March 2022, will make its perihelion to the sun on January 12, 2023. Around February 1st, it will pass by Earth as it makes its way outbound if it survives that encounter. According to early projections, C/2022 E3 could become slightly brighter than the Big Dipper stars, or magnitude 6.0. In any case, it might make this the first naked-eye comet to appear in our skies since Comet NEOWISE in the summer of 2020.

January 21: New Moon, Orion Nebula

There is no better way to take advantage of January's exceptional viewing conditions than with an early new moon that reduces light pollution (at least from the heavens).

It is the nearest major star-forming region and is only 1,350 light-years away from Earth. Dark skies make it relatively simple to see with the naked eye. According to Space.com, you can find it by looking for the bright stars that make up Orion's Belt. Look to the three nearby dimmer sides that make up Orion's Sword from there. In the middle of the sword is the nebula.

January 22: Venus and Saturn

The evening of January 22 will feature a dinnertime performance from Venus and Saturn. Around 6 PM EST, looking west-southwest, the two planets will pass one another just half a degree apart. That difference, according to EarthSky, is smaller than a full moon's diameter!

January 30 to 31: Moon and Mars

The moon and the red planet will be extremely close to one another on the evening of January 30 to 31. Some parts of the world, including much of the southern US, will see an occultation or eclipse of Mars, Treehugger reports.