Astronomical events and phenomena follow during the month of December 2022. During this month, we witness many phenomena that all amateur astronomy awaits and their eyes are fixed on the sky, waiting for the appropriate opportunity to monitor and photograph astronomical phenomena and listen to their interesting viewing.
Dr. Ashraf Tadros, a professor of astrophysics and former head of the astronomy department at the National Institute for Astronomical Research, revealed the details of the last 10 astronomical phenomena for the year 2022 witnessed by this December.
Tadros said, in a post on his Facebook page: All observations of astronomical phenomena do not have any harm to human health or daily activity on Earth, with the exception of the solar eclipse or the passage of the planet Mercury or Venus in front of the sun disk, as looking at the sun with the naked eye is generally It hurts the eyes a lot.
The most important astronomical phenomena for December 2022, which can be seen with the naked eye:
December 7-8 – Conjunction of the Moon and Mars.
On December 7-8, the conjunction of the waning gibbous moon with the planet Mars will be observed in the skies of Egypt and the Arab world, as it will separate them by regarding 3 degrees, in a phenomenon that will be seen with the naked eye. Because the apparent distance between the moon and Mars is wide, they will not appear together in the field of view of the telescope, but this can be done through binoculars, and he stressed that all observations of astronomical events and phenomena do not have any harm to human health or his daily activity on Earth.
December 8 – Mars in opposition to the Sun.
Sky observers are preparing to observe the encounter of Mars, the evening following tomorrow, Tuesday, with the sun for the first time since July 27, 2018, as the planet Earth passes in its orbit around the sun between the sun and Mars, and the planet Mars passes at almost the same time at its closest distance to Earth – it is called Perihelion – which makes Mars appear brighter and larger, and this event will not happen once more before 2035. Among the astronomical phenomena for the month of December, sky observers are preparing to observe the encounter of Mars with the Sun, on December 8, to be Mars at its closest location to Earth During the encounter with the sun, to light the other face of Mars to be brighter than at any other time of the year, this is the best opportunity to see, photograph and document the vision of Mars in its closest image from Earth.
December 10-11 – conjunction of the Moon and Pollux.
The moon is associated with the star Pollux in Gemini, so that the twins appear together, at their sunrise at approximately 8:00 pm on December 10, when we see them side by side in the sky all night until dawn of the next day, December 11, and Pollux is an orange giant star that is approximately larger than the sun. 3 times and is regarding 34 light-years away from Earth.
December 13-14 – the peak of the Gemini meteor shower (the twins).
The Gemini shower is considered one of the queens of meteor showers, because it is considered the most beautiful meteor shower throughout the year, as the number of meteors in it reaches 120 meteors and more than that, in one hour with the multiplicity and different colors of it, which makes it more attractive than the rest of the meteor showers, as well as the distinctive among the phenomena The astronomical shower in general and in particular in the month of December 2022, and the twins meteor shower is produced from the dust debris left by the asteroid Phaethon 3200 that was discovered in 1982, and the twins meteors fall annually from December 7 to December 17 and reach their climax this year on the night of the 13th and dawn of December 14th, and to enjoy a better view of the meteor showers From the meteors of the “twins” Al-Juzar, which fall between the period from 7 to 17 December, and reach their climax on the night of 13 and 14 December, when the best opportunity is to see the meteor showers from a dark place, and the Astronomy Center has confirmed that the meteor showers can be seen through the naked eye and not You need a telescope.
December 21 – the winter solstice.. and the beginning of the astronomical winter season
This astronomical phenomenon occurs, which is considered one of the most important astronomical phenomena these days, in which the South Pole tends to the Earth, and the sun’s rays are completely vertical, over the course of Capricorn, latitude 23.24 degrees south, and this day is considered the beginning of the winter season when we reach the peak of winter, which is What is known astronomically as the winter solstice, in the northern hemisphere, and this does not mean that the winter solstice is the coldest day of the year. , bringing the number of daylight hours to 10 hours, and the night to 14 hours, and this astronomical phenomenon occurs on December 21.
December 21-22 – the Ursa Minor meteor shower (Al Dabeyaat).
The Ursids meteors are considered light meteor showers, as the number of meteors is regarding 10 meteors per hour, and it is produced by dusty debris scattered along the orbit of the comet Tuttle, which was discovered in 1790, and the bear meteors fall as if they were coming from the Ursa Minor group. (near the North Star), which is the reason for its name, and the annual timing of this shower is from December 17 to December 25 of each year, and it reaches its climax on the night of the 21st until the dawn of December 22nd.
December 22 – Conjunction of the Moon and the Heart of Scorpio.
The moon is associated with the giant star Antares (the heart of the scorpion), a red giant star whose mass is estimated at 10 times the mass of the sun and 600 light-years away from Earth. It is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpio. This conjunction is seen before sunrise at 5:45 am that day. Until they disappear from the intensity of the morning twilight as a result of the sunrise.
December 24 – Conjunction of the Moon, Venus and Mercury.
The moon is paired with Venus (the brightest planet in the solar system) and also with Mercury (the closest planet to the sun) in a triple scene of wonderful beauty immediately following sunset on that day during evening twilight until this scene sets completely with the onset of night, knowing that Mercury and Venus They approach each other in the following days, so Mercury appears above Venus until December 29, then they exchange places, so Mercury appears below Venus until the end of the year.
December 26 – Conjunction of the Moon and Saturn.
The moon conjuncts Saturn (the pearl of the solar system) at nightfall on that day until sunset at approximately 8:30 pm.
December 29 – the conjunction of Mercury and Venus… and the conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter…
Venus (the brightest planet in the solar system) is paired with Mercury (the closest planet to the sun) immediately following sunset on that day and during evening dusk, as we mentioned before, until this scene sets completely with the onset of night, and the moon is paired with Jupiter (the giant of the group). Al-Shamsiyyah) for the second time during this month, at the beginning of the night until the beginning of their sunset around midnight.
Today is the best time to watch and photograph the planet Mercury for astronomical enthusiasts