Our Stargazing Guide for 2023

Howgill lies in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales which is a designated dark skies area. There is little in the way of light pollution here so sit back and marvel at the beauty of the night sky in a way you have never seen before. We have put together a handy little guide for all you astronomers out there for what you can see and when this year! Download the free app “Night Sky” to see what constellations and planets are visible during your visit.

January

• 3rd – 4th | Quadrantids Meteor Shower – Peaking after midnight on the 3rd and showcasing up to 120 meteors per hour.
• 6th | Micro Full Moon – A Full Moon or a New Moon coinciding with when the Moon’s orbit is farthest away from Earth.
• 7th | Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation – This is the best time to get a good look at Mercury all year.
• 21st | Supermoon New Moon – When the Full Moon or New Moon occurs near the Moon’s closest approach to Earth it is often called a Supermoon.

February

• 5th | Micro Full Moon – A Full Moon or a New Moon coinciding with when the Moon’s orbit is farthest away from Earth.
• 20th | Supermoon New Moon – When the Full Moon or New Moon occurs near the Moon’s closest approach to Earth it is often called a Supermoon.

March

• 20th | Spring Equinox – First day of Spring
• 28th | Venus, Mars, Saturn and Moon Cluster – An hour before the sun rises, Venus, Mars and Saturn will group into a triangle next to the moon.

April

• 11th | Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation – Look for a bright star low in the sky and to the west just after sunset.
• 22nd – 23rd | Lyrids Meteor Shower – Peaking on the night of April 22 when the moon will only be 6% illuminated.  

May

• 5th – 7th | Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower – In a clear sky you will be able to see up to 50 meteors per hour. Active between April 15th and May 27th but peaking on the 6th.
• 19th | Black Moon – The year is divided into four seasons, each season has three months and three New Moons. When a season has four New Moons, the third New Moon is called a Black Moon and occurs about once every 33 months.
• 29th | Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation – Look for a bright star low in the sky and to the east just before sunrise.

June

• 4th | Venus at Greatest Eastern Elongation – Look for the bright star in the west just after sunset.
• 21st | Summer Solstice – First day of Summer.
• 24th | Planetary Alignment – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will line up with the Moon and even better you should be able to see this with the naked eye.

August

• 1st | Super Full Moon – When a Full Moon takes place when the Moon is near its closest approach to Earth, it is called a Super Full Moon.
• 10th | Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation – Look for the bright star low in the west just after sunset.
• 11th – 12th | Perseid Meteor Shower – One of the most prolific showers of the year, producing rich, bright streaks. Active from mid-July until late August but will peak on August 11th and 12th.
• 16th | Micro New Moon – A Full Moon or a New Moon coinciding with when the Moon’s orbit is farthest away from Earth.
• 24th | Saturn at Opposition – The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long.
• 31st | Blue Moon – A Blue Moon is the second Full Moon in one calendar month.
• 31st | Super Full Moon – When a Full Moon takes place when the Moon is near its closest approach to Earth, it is called a Super Full Moon.

September

• 19th | Neptune at Opposition – The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long.
• 22nd | Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation – Look for the bright star low to the east just before sunrise.
• 23rd | September Equinox – First day of Autumn.

October

• 8th – 9th | Draconid Meteor Shower – Peaking around October 8th – 9th as the moon will only be 19% illuminated.
• 20th – 21st | Orionids Meteor Shower – A by-product of Halley’s Comet, showcasing around 20 meteors per hour with clear-skies. Active from September 26th to November 22nd and will peak on Oct 20th and 21st.
• 28th | Partial Lunar Eclipse – A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the Sun and Moon but the three celestial bodies do not form a straight line in space. Beginning at 20:35pm with the most coverage visible 21:14pm.

November

• 11th – 12th | Taurid Meteor Shower – Annual meteor shower that occurs every November and is composed of two streams, the Southern Taurids and the Northern Taurids, but will only showcase half-dozen shooting stars per hour, at best.
• 13th | Uranus at Opposition – The blue-green planet will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long.
• 17th – 18th | Leonids Meteor Shower – The Leonids are bright meteors and have a high percentage of persistent trains, offering clear-sky meteor rates of about 10 to 15 shooting stars per hour. Active from November 3rd until December 2nd, peaking on November 17th and 18th. 

December

• 4th | Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation – Look for the bright star low in the west just after sunset.
• 13th – 14th | Geminid Meteor Shower – The Geminids are the by-product of the asteroid Phaethon and year after year are the strongest meteor shower in terms of rates, showcasing over 100 meteors per hour.
• 22nd – 23rd | Ursid Meteor Shower – Offering a generally sparse display, only producing approximately five meteors per hour. Active between December 17th and 26th but peaking on December 22th – 23th.