December 2023 Celestial Phenomena in Yogyakarta: Meteor Showers and Full Moon

Yogyakarta – December 2023 will be decorated with various celestial phenomena. In the last month of 2023, a series of celestial phenomena will occur, from meteor showers to the full moon phase.

A number of celestial phenomena in December 2023 will occur on different dates. The National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) has shared various kinds of celestial phenomena that will occur in December 2023 by uploading the Instagram account @lapan_ri.

The following is a brief explanation regarding 11 celestial phenomena that will occur in December 2023, quoted from the Instagram account @lapan_ri and the Space Tourism Guide website.

Sky Phenomenon December 2023

1. Phoenicid Meteor Shower

The first celestial phenomenon is the Phoenicid meteor shower which will occur on December 2 2023. This meteor shower comes from the constellation Phoenix which is close to the star Alfa Eridani in the constellation Eridanus. The peak of the meteor shower is only a few per hour. Meteor showers which are classified as minor class III in Sabang have an intensity of 0-52 while in Rote Ndao they have an intensity of 0-74.

The Phoenicid Meteor Shower is more clearly visible if it is below the equator or southern hemisphere. For observers in Central America, South America, Southern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania, this is an opportunity to try to see celestial phenomena in December.

2. Puppid-Velid Meteor Shower

The Puppid-Velid Meteor Shower will occur on December 7, 2023. This meteor shower comes from the remaining dust from comet 96P/Machholz. This meteor shower will be visible below the equator or southern hemisphere. In Indonesia, the intensity of this meteor shower is around 6.3-8.33 meteors per hour.

3. Sigma-Hydrid Meteor Shower

The Sigma-Hydrid Meteor Shower will occur on December 10, 2023. Sigma-Hydrid will produce quite a large number of meteors. The intensity in Indonesia is around 3.8-4.6 meteors per hour. This celestial phenomenon begins to be active from early December to the middle of the month with a low level of activity.

4. Monocerotid Meteor Shower

The Monocerotid Meteor Shower will occur on December 10 2023. The intensity of this meteor shower in Indonesia reaches 2.8-3.0 meteors per hour. This celestial phenomenon will be visible in the part of Monoceros between Orion in the west, Gemini in the north, Canis Major in the south, and Hydra in the east. Monocerotids are thought to occur every year between December 5th and December 20th.

5. New Moon Phase

The New Moon phase in December coincides with the 13th. This phase is characterized by the entire side of the moon’s surface facing the earth not reflecting light. In this phase, the moon appears dark and is not visible from the earth because it does not receive direct light from the sun

6. Geminid Meteor Shower

The Geminid Meteor Shower will occur on December 15 2023. This celestial phenomenon in Indonesia will have an intensity of 108.5-134 meteors per hour. This meteor comes from the constellation Gemini and will occur from 13-15 December 2023.

7. Berenicidal Coma Meteor Shower

The Coma Berenicid Meteor Shower will occur on December 16 2023. In Indonesia, the intensity of this meteor shower ranges from 2.5-2.9 meteors per hour. This celestial phenomenon will reach its peak around midnight until 02.00 in the morning. Meteors that fall come from a radiant point in the constellation Leo.

8. Leonis Minorid Meteor Shower

The Leonis Minorid Meteor Shower will occur from December 5 2023 to February 4 2024 with a peak on December 20 2023. This celestial phenomenon is a class II minor meteor shower with an intensity of 3.8-4.6 meteors per hour. Observers can find the luminous point Leo Minor which will move high across the southern earth’s sky.

9. December Solstice

The solstice in December will occur on December 22 2023. The solstice occurs when the sun crosses the north and south equinox. These two lines are imaginary lines on the globe located at latitudes 23.55 degrees N and 23.44 degrees S. When the solstice occurs, the Southern Hemisphere will experience the shortest night of the year.

10. Ursid Meteor Shower

The Ursid Meteor Shower will occur on December 23, 2023. Ursid is a small meteor shower that occurs with an intensity of 0-3 meteors per hour. This celestial phenomenon originates from Ursa Minor, but will appear and be visible throughout the sky. To find Ursid, you can look towards the North Star, but the condition of the moon being in the gibbous phase has the potential to disturb observers of this meteor shower.

11. Full Moon Phase

The Full Moon in December 2023 will occur on December 27. The full moon phase occurs when the entire surface of the moon facing the earth reflects sunlight. In Indonesia, the peak of the full moon will occur at 07.33 WIT, 08.33 WITA and 09.33 WIT.

These are 11 celestial phenomena that occur in December, from meteor showers to full moons. Hope it’s useful, Dab!

This article was written by Anandio Januar, a participant in the Merdeka Campus Certified Internship Program at detikcom.

Watch the video “Perseid Meteor Shower Phenomenon in the Balkan Sky”

(rih/dil)

2023-12-07 07:01:59
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