Week of December 25-31, 2022

The beginning of a new year is always filled with hope and optimism, not to mention lists of resolutions we swear we're going to follow. For cryin' out loud, just how many times can we possibly say "...and this year I mean it!"?

There is one resolution, however, that I hope you'll be able to keep, and that is to enjoy all the terrific celestial wonders in store for us during 2023.

During the first half of the year, the brilliant planet Venus will grace our evening sky once again. I don't know about you, but I've missed seeing it glisten there in the west at dusk, especially on those evenings each month when the delicate crescent moon appears nearby. This coming year has quite a few good such near passes; one of the nicest will come in March, when the crescent moon, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will appear together at dusk.

Other planets will make a beautiful showing in 2023 as well. The ringed planet Saturn will reach its opposition (its closest point to Earth) in August, and a few months later, in November, the giant planet Jupiter will reach its opposition.

Two solar eclipses will occur in 2023; unfortunately, sky watchers not in the Indian Ocean or South Pacific will miss the total eclipse in April. The second solar eclipse of the year, however, will be visible along a narrow path across the western U.S. and Mexico in October. It will be an annular eclipse, in which the moon's disk will appear smaller than that of the sun and will produce a ring (or "annulus") of sunlight around it.

Meteor shower fans will be delighted to learn that, in 2023, both the Perseid and the Geminid meteor showers will occur with no interfering moonlight at all. The Perseids will peak on the night of Aug. 12/13 but will begin to show some good activity a few nights before. The prolific and brilliant Geminids are expected to reach their peak on the night of Dec. 14/15. If you enjoy watching meteor showers (and who doesn't?), be sure to schedule your vacation days now while you're thinking of it!

And, of course, as we approach the spring and autumn equinoxes of the year, the magical and colorful aurora borealis — the northern lights — will be dancing across the arctic skies. If we're lucky, they may even descend far enough south for those of us in Southern Canada and the Lower 48 to get a rare glimpse.

If you'd like to join me for some of these remarkable celestial events (or at least follow them from your own home), I hope you'll check my website (dennismammana.com) and Facebook page (facebook.com/dennismammana) to keep up with celestial activities throughout the year. And please feel free to drop me a note if you have any questions.

For now, though, as our tiny blue world completes yet another journey around its life-giving star, I'd like to wish each of my readers a wonderful holiday season, and a happy, healthy and safe new year. I truly hope your stars shine ever more brightly in 2023, and that our paths cross many times!

In March, the crescent moon, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will appear together at dusk.

Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

In March, the crescent moon, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will appear together at dusk.