This year will be one of the best years for astronomical events, so make sure you look up.

Starting off strong, this year the Quadrantids began in the early morning of Jan. 4. Quadrantids are considered to be the best annual meteor showers, and they occur during early January of each year.  This year is expected to be one of the years with the most active meteor showers. Unfortunately, most of this show will be spoiled by the full moon that is expected between when it sets at 5:30 a.m. and the sun rises around 7:30 am. The hours between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. in the morning are ideal for viewing because the Earth is turning into the particle path of the parent asteroid, 2003 EH. 

A newly discovered comet, C/2022 E3, is becoming brighter as it moves closer to the sun. As of right now, if the comet keeps on its path, it will be visible to the naked eye by mid to late January.

On Jan. 22, Venus and Jupiter will be visible. This will be around 6:15 p.m., so if you are not a morning person this could be a great opportunity for you to see some cool stuff. This will only be for a short amount of time though because the two planets will disappear by 7 p.m., only 45 minutes later. Mars will also be visible a week later on Jan. 30 to the early hours of the next day. There is no known activity for February, but Jupiter and Venus are expected to return on March 1.

There is no activity until the summer, but this is when the super cool stuff starts happening. The summer solstice will occur on June 21. This is when the moon, Mars, and Venus all line up to form a triangle in the sky.

This year there will be four supermoons arriving. The first one arrives on July 3, so make sure to look up to the moon before the fireworks. The second will arrive on Aug.1. 

The Perseid meteor show is expected to peak this August 12. This is because only 10 percent of the waning crescent will be visible and this will make the meteors easier to see. The last two will be here at the end of the next two months, on Sep. 30 and Oct. 29 respectively. 

If the night sky fascinates you as it does for many, be sure to make 2023 your year to see some cool stuff and try to take some amazing pictures.