Year 2022 brings a treat for skygazers

Aurangabad, Jan 1:

Year 2022 is going to be a treat to the eye for all the stargazers as it will be filled with new celestial events donning the night skies. The first month of the new year will be filled with these astronomical events starting from the New Moon being accompanied by Mars to a meteor shower streaking past. There will be two solar eclipses, two lunar eclipses, super moon, micro moon and other fascinating events, informed the sky watch group.

The last two eclipses will be visible from India. The first eclipse will be visible on April 30, 2022 and the partial solar eclipse will not be visible from India on May 16. But the lunar eclipse that will take place on October 25 and November 8 will be visible from India. Enthusiasts will be able to observe the comet with the help of binoculars on January 3, 12 and 16, February 1, 9 and 23, April 15, 21, 22 and 29, May 11, June 7, August 25, 31, September 5, November 26 and December 2, 3 and 15. Similarly, Meteors will also pass very close to Earth on January 7, February 5 and 18, March 6, April 29, May 15, October 16 and 22, November 16 and 23 and December 15.

New moon on Jan 2

Stargazers will be able to spot planets and stars in the skies as they will be in their darkest hours after the new moon. The new moon will rise in the night skies after 2 January, when it will align the Sun with Earth on the opposite side. Another celestial event that is lined up in January is the Quadrantid meteor shower, which will peak on the night of January 2, informed group president prof Suresh Chopne.