Meteorites are conventionally divided into ‘falls’, where the body is seen to fall and the location is therefore known (at least approximately) and ‘finds’, where the object is merely found by chance. There are, of course, far more finds than falls, and the numbers in collections are about 65,000 and 1500, respectively.

Night Sky Almanac 2023: A stargazer’s guide – HarperCollins Night Sky Almanac 2023: A stargazer’s guide – HarperCollins

Many different cultures had specific names for the Full Moon, depending on the time of year. Even in a single culture, the actual names often varied between different tribes, so there may be more than one name used for a particular Full Moon. The interval between successive Full Moons (or between any other specific phases of the Moon) is known as the synodic month, and is, on average, 29.53 days, so the names have come to be associated with modern calendar months. One of the most commonly known sets of names is that used by the various tribes in North America. These are: The image by Damian Peach was taken with a 14 inch telescope in Barbados where the seeing can be particularly good. This image won the "Astronomy Photographer of the Year" competition in 2011. Such far northern observers will also find that Castor (α Geminorum) is actually circumpolar, although at times it is extremely low on the horizon. The other bright star in Gemini, Pollux (β Geminorum) is slightly farther south and cannot really be considered circumpolar. This in-depth guide first introduces readers to the objects in the sky – from stars, to comets, to globular clusters – and then takes them through the cosmic events to look out for each month in 2023, with sky maps, moon phase charts and info about the planets. An image of Ceres, obtained by the Dawn spacecraft on 4 May 2015 from a distance of 13,641 km. Ceres comes to opposition on 21 March 2023.The Moon at 3rd Quarter. Image, by Ian Morison, taken with a 150mm Maksutov-Newtonian and Canon G7.

NIGHT SKY ALMANAC 2023: A stargazer’s guide - Goodreads NIGHT SKY ALMANAC 2023: A stargazer’s guide - Goodreads

It is often useful to be able to estimate angles on the sky, and approximate values may be obtained by holding one hand at arm’s length. The various angles are shown in the diagram, together with the separations of the various stars in the asterism, known as the Plough or Big Dipper, and also for stars around the constellation of Orion. This way of explaining the motion of the planets, where the circular epicycle was carried around the Earth in a larger circlar orbit prevailed for some years. The conditions for observing naturally vary over the course of the year and one’s location on Earth. Sunrise and sunset vary considerably, depending in particular on one’s latitude. Sunrise and sunset times are given each month for nine different locations around the world. These places are shown in a bold typeface on the world map here. Sunrise and sunset times are given for the first and last days in every month, for these specific locations. Another factor that influences what may be seen is twilight at dusk and dawn. Again, this varies considerably with one’s latitude on Earth. The diagrams here show how this varies for the nine locations, which have been chosen to show the range of variation, rather than just for the importance of the places that have been included. The different stages of twilight and how they affect observing are also explained there. Most of the brightest stars have names officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union. A list of these, with their Bayer designations and magnitudes, is given here.Farther south and west lies Achernar (α Eridani), the bright star at the end of Eridanus, the long straggling constellation that represents a river and that may now be traced all the way from where it begins near Rigel (β Orionis) in Orion. On March 3, the waxing gibbous Moon is 1.7º south of Pollux (mag. 1.1) the brightest star in Gemini. On March 6, one day before Full Moon, it is 4.5º north of Regulus (mag. 1.4) in Leo. By March 10 it is 3.4º north of Spica and by March 14, one day before Last Quarter, it is 1.6º north of Antares in Scorpius. On March 19, the waning crescent is 3.6º south of Saturn (mag. 0.8). At New Moon, on March 21, it is 2.4º south of faint Neptune (mag. 0.8). The next day in twilight, it passes south of Mercury, and then 0.5º south of Jupiter (mag. -2.1). On March 24, the Moon occults Venus, partly visible from southeast Asia. On March 26, the waxing crescent is 8.7º north of Aldebaran in Taurus. It passes 2.3º north of Mars and on March 30 is again 1.6º south of Pollux. August 18: A Farewell to Mars (a literary allusion based on the planet being an anagram of “Arms”) is screened this evening, when the crescent Moon meets the soon-to-vanish Red Planet. Both are extremely low inthe west. The Summer Triangle still shines bright and high in the evening sky! Just look to the East and up! See our free star chart and have fun spotting the three bright stars of the Summer triangle! The Summer Triangle is bright even in many city skies.