In this brief post, we've compiled a simple list of astronomical events that will occur throughout 2023 that you can use as a monthly reference.

We list the month, day and time of the event in eastern standard time.

If you're looking for a more detailed breakdown, each month we release a new post discussing key current astronomical events. You can take a look at our most recent here: February 2023 Astronomy Events.

 

List of Astronomical Events in 2023

January

• 1st: Venus and Pluto conjunction @ 10:15am EST
• 1st: Lunar Occultation of Uranus @ 4:45pm EST
• 2nd: Mercury at perihelion @ 3:04pm EST
• 3rd: Lunar Occultation of Mars @ 2:51pm EST
• 3rd: Quadrantid Meteor Shower peak
• 4th: Earth at perihelion @ 11:17am EST
• 6th: Full Moon @ 6:07pm EST
• 6th: Moon at aphelion @ 10:55pm EST
• 7th: Mercury and Sun conjunction @ 7:53am EST
• 8th: Moon at apogee @ 4:19am EST
• 12th: C/2022 E3 (ZTF) at perihelion
• 12th: Mars turns prograde @ 3:54pm EST
• 14th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 9:10pm EST
• 15th: Asteroid Pallas at opposition @ 11:46pm EST
• 18th: Sun and Pluto conjunction @ 5:31pm EST
• 19th: Ursae Minorid Meteor Shower peak
• 21st: Moon at perihelion @ 12:14am EST
• 21st: New Moon @ 3:54pm EST
• 21st: Moon at perigee @ 3:57pm EST
• 22nd: Jupiter at perihelion @ 12:53am EST
• 22nd: Venus and Saturn conjunction @ 2:36pm EST
• 22nd: Uranus turns prograde @ 6:23pm EST
• 28th: 1st Quarter Moon @ 10:19am EST
• 28th: Lunar Occultation of Uranus @ 10:28pm EST
• 30th: Mercury at greatest western elongation @ 4:05am EST
• 30th: Lunar Occultation of Mars @ 11:27pm EST

February

• 1st: C/2022 E3 (ZTF) at perigee
• 4th: Moon at apogee @ 3:54am EST
• 5th: Full Moon @ 1:28pm EST
• 7th: Moon at aphelion @ 3:59am EST
• 8th: Centaurid Meteor Shower peak
• 11th: Mercury and Pluto conjunction @ 12:03am EST
• 13th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 11:01am EST
• 15th: Venus and Neptune conjunction @ 7:19am EST
• 15th: Mercury at aphelion @ 3:00pm EST
• 16th: Sun and Saturn conjunction @ 11:38am EST
• 18th: Moon at perihelion @ 1:53pm EST
• 19th: Moon at perigee @ 4:05am EST
• 20th: New Moon @ 2:06am EST
• 22nd: Lunar Occultation of Jupiter @ 5:57pm EST
• 27th: 1st Quarter Moon @ 3:06am EST
• 27th: Lunar Occultation of Mars @ 11:11pm EST

March

• 2nd: Close approach of Venus and Jupiter @ 12:05am EST
• 2nd: Mercury and Saturn conjunction @ 4:35am EST
• 2nd: Venus and Jupiter conjunction @ 5:41am EST
• 3rd: Moon at apogee @ 1:00pm EST
• 7th: Full Moon @ 7:40am EST
• 9th: Moon at aphelion @ 6:07pm EST
• 14th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 10:08pm EST
• 15th: Sun and Neptune conjunction @ 7:30pm EST
• 17th: Mercury and Sun conjunction @ 6:53am EST
• 19th: Moon at perigee @ 11:12am EST
• 19th: Moon at perihelion @ 11:42am EST
• 20th: March Equinox @ 5:20pm EST
• 21st: New Moon @ 1:24pm EST
• 24th: Lunar Occultation of Venus @ 6:32am EST
• 28th: 1st Quarter Moon @ 10:32pm EST
• 31st: Venus and Uranus conjunction @ 2:13am EST
• 31st: Moon at apogee @ 7:17am EST
• 31st: Mercury at perihelion @ 3:48pm EST

April

• 6th: Full Moon @ 12:34am EST
• 8th: Moon at aphelion @ 11:29am EST
• 11th: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation @ 2:51pm EST
• 11th: Sun and Jupiter conjunction @ 5:55pm EST
• 13th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 5:11am EST
• 13th: Jupiter at apogee @ 10:32am EST
• 15th: Moon at perigee @ 10:23pm EST
• 17th: Venus at perihelion @ 7:15am EST
• 17th: Moon at perihelion @ 8:44pm EST
• 20th: New Moon @ 12:13am EST
• 20th: Hybrid Solar Eclipse @ 12:17 am EST
• 22nd: Lyrid Meteor Shower peak
• 27th: 1st Quarter Moon @ 5:20pm EST
• 28th: Moon at apogee @ 2:43am EST

May

• 1st: Mercury and Sun conjunction @ 7:22pm EST
• 5th: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse @ 1:24pm EST
• 5th: Full Moon @ 1:33pm EST
• 6th: n-Aquariid Meteor Shower peak
• 7th: Moon at aphelion @ 9:48am EST
• 9th: n-Lyrid Meteor Shower peak
• 9th: Sun and Uranus conjunction @ 3:46pm EST
• 11th: Moon at perigee @ 1:05am EST
• 12th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 10:28am EST
• 14th: Mercury at aphelion @ 3:27pm EST
• 17th: Lunar Occultation of Jupiter @ 8:40am EST
• 17th: Moon at perihelion @ 8:22pm EST
• 19th: New Moon @ 11:54am EST
• 25th: Moon at apogee @ 9:38pm EST
• 27th: 1st Quarter Moon @ 11:22am EST
• 29th: Mercury at greatest western elongation @ 3:44am EST
• 30th: Mars at aphelion @ 3:30pm EST

June

• 3rd: Full Moon @ 11:41pm EST
• 4th: Mercury and Uranus conjunction @ 12:34am EST
• 4th: Venus at greatest eastern elongation @ 12:11pm EST
• 4th: Moon at aphelion @ 9:58pm EST
• 6th: Moon at perigee @ 7:05pm EST
• 10th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 3:31pm EST
• 10th: Arietid Meteor Shower peak
• 17th: Moon at perihelion @ 9:26am EST
• 17th: Saturn turns retrograde @ 12:51pm EST
• 18th: New Moon @ 12:38am EST
• 21st: June Solstice @ 10:54am EST
• 22nd: Moon at apogee @ 2:30pm EST
• 26th: 1st Quarter Moon @ 3:50am EST
• 27th: Mercury at perihelion @ 3:17pm EST
• 27th: Bootid Meteor Shower peak
• 30th: Neptune turns retrograde @ 3:38pm EST

July

• 1st: Mercury and Sun conjunction @ 1:12am EST
• 1st: Close approach of Venus and Mars @ 3:09am EST
• 3rd: Moon at aphelion @ 6:27am EST
• 3rd: Full Moon @ 7:38am EST
• 4th: Moon at perigee @ 6:25pm EST
• 6th: Earth at aphelion @ 4:06pm EST
• 9th: Venus at greatest brightness @ 1:50pm EST
• 9th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 9:48pm EST
• 17th: New Moon @ 2:33pm EST
• 18th: Moon at perihelion @ 7:24am EST
• 20th: Moon at apogee @ 2:56am EST
• 22nd: Pluto at opposition @ 8:23am EST
• 25th: 1st Quarter Moon @ 6:07pm EST
• 26th: Mercury and Venus conjunction @ 8:45am EST
• 29th: Piscis Austrinid Meteor Shower peak
• 30th: Southern Aquariid Meteor Shower peak
• 30th: Capricornid Meteor Shower peak
• 31st: Moon at aphelion @ 3:26pm EST

August

• 1st: Full Moon @ 2:31pm EST
• 2nd: Moon at perigee @ 1:52am EST
• 8th: Venus at aphelion @ 2:37am EST
• 8th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 6:28am EST
• 9th: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation @ 4:30pm EST
• 10th: Asteroid Hygiea at opposition @ 5:34am EST
• 10th: Mercury at aphelion @ 2:39pm EST
• 13th: Perseid Meteor Shower peak
• 13th: Venus and Sun conjunction @ 7:10am EST
• 16th: New Moon @ 5:39am EST
• 16th: Moon at apogee @ 7:54am EST
• 18th: Moon at perihelion @ 4:41am EST
• 18th: Cygnid Meteor Shower peak
• 24th: 1st Quarter Moon @ 5:57am EST
• 24th: Lunar Occultation of Antares @ 10:29pm EST
• 27th: Saturn at opposition @ 4:20am EST
• 28th: Uranus turns retrograde @ 10:11pm EST
• 29th: Moon at aphelion @ 4:36am EST
• 30th: Moon at perigee @ 11:54am EST
• 30th: Blue Moon @ 9:35pm EST

September

• 1st: Lunar Occultation of Neptune @ 4:21am EST
• 1st: Aurigid Meteor Shower peak
• 4th: Jupiter turns retrograde @ 10:13am EST
• 6th: Mercury and Sun conjunction @ 7:04am EST
• 6th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 6:21pm EST
• 12th: Moon at apogee @ 11:42am EST
• 14th: New Moon @ 9:41pm EST
• 17th: Moon at perihelion @ 1:19pm EST
• 18th: Venus at greatest brightness @ 8:09am EST
• 19th: Neptune at opposition @ 7:09am EST
• 21st: Lunar Occultation of Antares @ 4:47am EST
• 22nd: Mercury at greatest western elongation @ 7:27am EST
• 22nd: 1st Quarter Moon @ 3:32pm EST
• 23rd: September Equinox @ 2:46am EST
• 23rd: Mercury at perihelion @ 2:06pm EST
• 27th: Moon at aphelion @ 2:44am EST
• 27th: Sextantid Meteor Shower peak
• 27th: Moon at perigee @ 8:58pm EST
• 29th: Full Moon @ 5:57am EST

October

• 6th: Camelopardalid Meteor Shower peak
• 6th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 9:48am EST
• 9th: Draconid Meteor Shower peak
• 9th: Moon at apogee @ 11:41pm EST
• 10th: Southern Taurid Meteor Shower peak
• 11th: Aurigid Meteor Shower peak
• 14th: New Moon @ 1:56pm EST
• 14th: Annual Solar Eclipse @ 2:00pm EST
• 17th: Moon at perihelion @ 2:44am EST
• 18th: Mars at apogee @ 5:12am EST
• 18th: Lunar Occultation of Antares @ 10:13am EST
• 18th: Eris at opposition @ 12:18pm EST
• 18th: Geminid Meteor Shower peak
• 20th: Mercury and Sun conjunction @ 1:49am EST
• 21st: Orionid Meteor Shower peak
• 21st: 1st Quarter Moon @ 11:29pm EST
• 23rd: Venus at greatest western elongation @ 8:05pm EST
• 24th: Leonis Minorid Meteor Shower peak
• 25th: Moon at perigee @ 11:01pm EST
• 26th: Moon at aphelion @ 3:01pm EST
• 28th: Partial Lunar Eclipse @ 4:15pm EST
• 28th: Full Moon @ 4:23pm EST

November

• 1st: Jupiter at perigee @ 5:00pm EST
• 3rd: Jupiter at opposition @ 12:55am EST
• 4th: Saturn turns prograde @ 3:16am EST
• 5th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 3:37am EST
• 6th: Mercury at aphelion @ 12:40pm EST
• 6th: Moon at apogee @ 4:48pm EST
• 9th: Lunar Occultation of Venus @ 5:34am EST
• 12th: Northern Taurid Meteor Shower peak
• 13th: New Moon @ 4:28am EST
• 13th: Uranus at opposition @ 12:12pm EST
• 14th: Moon at perihelion @ 10:37pm EST
• 18th: Mars and Sun conjunction @ 12:14am EST
• 18th: Leonid Meteor Shower peak
• 20th: 1st Quarter Moon @ 5:50am EST
• 21st: Ceres and Sun conjunction @ 12:09am EST
• 21st: Moon at perigee @ 4:01pm EST
• 22nd: Monocerotid Meteor Shower peak
• 27th: Full Moon @ 4:16am EST
• 28th: Venus at perihelion @ 4:36am EST
• 28th: Orionid Meteor Shower peak

December

• 2nd: Pheonicid Meteor Shower peak
• 4th: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation @ 12:26pm EST
• 4th: Moon at apogee @ 1:42pm EST
• 5th: 3rd Quarter Moon @ 12:49am EST
• 6th: Neptune turns prograde @ 7:38am EST
• 6th: Cassiopeid Meteor Shower peak
• 7th: Puppid-Velid Meteor Shower peak
• 9th: Monocerotid Meteor Shower peak
• 12th: Hydrid Meteor Shower peak
• 12th: New Moon @ 6:33pm EST
• 13th: Moon at perihelion @ 10:39am EST
• 14th: Geminid Meteor Shower peak
• 16th: Comae Berenicid Meteor Shower peak
• 16th: Moon at perigee @ 1:52pm EST
• 19th: Lunar Occultation of Neptune @ 9:16am EST
• 19th: 1st Quarter Moon @ 1:39pm EST
• 20th: Leonis Minorid Meteor Shower peak
• 20th: Mercury at perihelion @ 12:04pm EST
• 21st: Asteroid Vesta at opposition @ 4:34pm EST
• 21st: December Solstice
• 22nd: Mercury and Sun conjunction @ 1:50pm EST
• 22nd: Ursid Meteor Shower peak
• 26th: Moon at aphelion @ 2:55pm EST
• 26th: Full Moon @ 7:33pm EST
• 30th: Jupiter turns prograde @ 9:41pm EST