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These are the best celestial events to look forward to in 2022

These are the best celestial events to look forward to in 2022

The cosmos is as beautiful as it is mysterious. Every once in a while, the universe puts on a show for us humans here on Earth to enjoy. Sometimes, it is an eclipse, sometimes it is a meteor shower. But no matter what event, it is an occasion that you should not miss. Here, we have put together a list of celestial events that we can look forward to seeing in 2022.

Solar eclipses on October 25, 2022

After the partial eclipse visible in certain parts of South America on April 30 this year, there is only one more solar eclipse left for us to witness: a partial one that will happen on October 25 and will be visible in Europe, Northeast Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia, including India. The greatest part of the eclipse will be visible to viewers in India so save the date on your calendar.

Lunar eclipse on November 8, 2022

The total lunar eclipse that occurred on May 16 this year will not be the only one this year: another total lunar eclipse is predicted to happen once again on November 8 this year. However, just like the previous full lunar eclipse, it is unlikely that this one would be visible from India. But just like the one in May, the lunar eclipse in November will also presumably be live-streamed by multiple sources, allowing you to catch a glimpse.

Meteor showers in 2022

Fortunately, spectacular meteor showers are more common than lunar and solar eclipses. But there is one downside to trying to witness one of them: It is next to impossible to spot one if you live in a crowded city. If you want to witness a meteor shower by yourself, you need to go far away from all the light pollution in the city so that the stars and meteors are clearly visible.

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Perseids meteor shower

The Perseids meteor shower is one of the brightest meteor showers that happen every year. They typically occur between July 17 and August 24 and tend to peak around August 9-13. The Perseids shower is made out of space debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle and inamed after the Perseus constellation because the shower will seem to come in the sky from the same direction where the constellation is.

The Perseids are usually sought after by astronomers and stargazers because it is often possible to see 60 to 100 meteors in an hour from a dark place during its peak. According to current predictions, the best time to watch the meteor shower would be during the night between August 12 and 13.

Draconids meteor shower

The Draconid meteor shower is one of the two meteor showers to happen during the month of April and is scheduled to occur between October 6 to October 10. Stargazers might be able to spot up to 10 meteors per hour during its peak between October 8 and October 9.

Orioinids meteor shower

The Orionids meteor shower is the second shower that will occur during October and will be active between October 2 and November 7 with its peak between October 21 and October 22. The Orionids shower is created by the dust from the Halley comet. During its peak, stargazers might be able to see up to 20 meteors per hour.

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Leonids meteor showers

The Leonids meteor shower happens due to the space debris left by the comet Tempel-Tuttle, which takes around 33 years to orbit around the sun. The Leonids shower will be active between November 6 and November 30, with the peak occurring between November 17 and November 18, when stargazers could see as many as 10 meteors per hour.

Geminids meteor shower

The Geminids shower is considered to be one of the most spectacular meteor showers to happen in the year and will happen between December 4 and December 20. Its peak is predicted to happen between December 14 and December 15 when stargazers could witness as many as 150 meteors per hour.

Unlike most showers which are associated to a meteor, the Geminid shower is caused by an asteroid: the 3200 Phaethon, which takes about 1.4 years to orbit the sun.