Eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer.
Eclipses treated as natural celestial events and there is no superstitions surrounding these.
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Thousands of years ago, humans attributed celestial events like eclipses and meteor showers to the divine actions of God.
Many people were of the view that solar eclipses were often seen as omens or signs of divine warning but within few years the Astroscience has proved celestial events to be natural and scientific phenomena.
No total solar eclipse will happen this year but there will be two partial solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses. Here, we have put together a list of celestial events that you must not miss in 2023.
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Ningaloo hybrid solar eclipse
There will be a hybrid solar eclipse happening on April 23, 2023. A hybrid solar eclipse is a type of eclipse that looks like an annular solar eclipse or a total solar eclipse depending on where it is being observed from. The eclipse is referred to as the Ningaloo eclipse as it will be best viewed from Ningaloo on the Western Australian coast. A full eclipse will be visible at that part of Australia. Apart from the western coast of Australia, the eclipse will also be visible in parts of many Southeast Asian countries. Unfortunately, skywatchers in India will not be able to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse.
Penumbral lunar eclipse
A penumbral lunar eclipse will happen on May 5, 2023. During a penumbral lunar eclipse, the Moon, Earth and Sun are imperfectly aligned and the Earth, meaning that the Earth’s main shadow (umbra) doesn’t cover the Moon, but rather, it is covered by the Earth’s “penumbra.” Penumbral lunar eclipses are a little harder to spot since the shadowed part of the Moon will only appear a little darker.
Perseids meteor shower
According to the online sky guide In the Sky, the Perseid meteor shower will happen in 2023 between July 17 and August 17, with the peak happening on August 13, which will be a Sunday. In New Delhi, the meteor shower’s peak will start around 8.10 PM IST on August 13 and will continue to be visible till around 5.21 AM IST the next day.
Super blue moon
The Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical orbit which means that it gets closer and farther away from our planet during its journey around it. When a Moon is at its closest point to the Earth and that coincides with a full moon, it is called a supermoon. There will be a total of four supermoons in the year but the one on August 31 will be a little different, even though you might not be able to see that just by looking at the supermoon. The full moon on August 31 will be the second one of the month after the August 1 full moon which shows that the August 31 full moon is a “monthly blue moon.” The Moon does not appear blue as suggested by its name but rather it is just an obscure term when a second full moon occurs in the same month.
Annular solar eclipse
The second solar eclipse of the year will be an annular eclipse that happens on October 14, 2023 and will be visible to many more people than the previous one. For regions where the eclipse will be visible, the Moon will obscure the centre of the Sun, leaving a very thin ring of fire around the shadow. Unfortunately, just like the other solar eclipse in the year, the October 14 eclipse will also not be visible to viewers in India. However, the eclipse will be visible in many parts of North and South America, including parts of the United States, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Brazil.
Partial lunar eclipse
Though the penumbral lunar eclipse which will appear on May 5 will be hard to detect with the human eye, the partial lunar eclipse on October 28 will be easier to notice since a small part of the Moon will appear darker and might even appear slightly reddish. During a partial lunar eclipse, only the part of the Moon covered by the Earth’s shadow will appear reddish. The lunar eclipse will start at 11.31 PM IST on October 28, 2023 in New Delhi. It will go in till 3.56 AM on October 29, while its peak will be at 1.44 AM on October 29.