Yearbook of Astronomy 2022

By Brian Jones

The “excellent resource” used by both amateur and professional astronomers for sixty years, filled with references and enlightening articles (Booklist).
 
Since this invaluable annual publication first appeared in 1962, stargazers and sky-watchers have enjoyed its comprehensive, jargon-free monthly sky notes and its authoritative set of sky charts that enable backyard astronomers everywhere to plan their viewing of the year’s eclipses, comets, meteor showers, and minor planets, as well as detailing the phases of the moon and visibility and locations of the planets throughout the year.
 
It also includes a variety of entertaining and informative articles. In the 2022 edition, you’ll find coverage of a wide range of topics including:
 

• A History of the Amateur Astronomical Society: 1962 to 2022
• Expanding Cosmic Horizons
• Frank Drake and His Equation
• Remote Telescopes
• Skies Over Ancient America, and more

 
After six decades, The Yearbook of Astronomy continues to be essential reading for anyone fascinated by the magic and mysteries of our universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Aug 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781526790064

Book preview

The Monthly Star Charts

Northern Hemisphere Star Charts

This chart shows stars lying at declinations between –45 and –90 degrees. These constellations are circumpolar for observers in Europe and North America.

Southern Hemisphere Star Charts

This chart shows stars lying at declinations between –45 and –90 degrees. These constellations are circumpolar for observers in Australia and New Zealand.

The Planets in 2022

Lynne Marie Stockman

Mercury never strays far from the Sun and thus is a challenging object to find in twilit skies. Its best evening apparition for northern temperate observers is April– May whilst southern hemisphere viewers must wait until mid-July through late September. Mercury’s best morning shows are in February and March for those south of the equator and late September to early November for those farther north. Mercury is brightest near superior conjunction and faintest at inferior conjunction so evening apparitions are characterised by a bright start followed by a steady dimming whilst morning apparitions start faintly and end brightly. Mercury passes near the Pleiades (M45) in April and is found just north of Regulus (α Leonis) in August. Its closest encounter with another planet occurs in March when it meets Saturn. Mercury is occulted twice by the Moon, in October and November. Apparition diagrams showing the position of Mercury above the eastern and western horizons can be found throughout the Sky Notes.

Venus spends the first few days of 2022 as the evening star but it soon passes into the morning sky where it remains for ten months, returning to evening twilight in November. This is an excellent morning apparition for southern hemisphere astronomers and it is also quite good for those living near Earth’s equator. However, the bright planet never gains much altitude when viewed from northern temperate zones, remaining within 20° or so of the horizon. Greatest elongation west occurs in March, with inferior conjunction taking place in January and superior conjunction in October. It passes very close to both Neptune and Jupiter in late April. Apparition diagrams showing the position of Venus above the eastern and western horizons can be found in the January and October Sky Notes respectively.

The Moon makes a series of close passes by several first-magnitude stars this year. Pollux (β Geminorum) is approached each month, with the smallest separation (1.7°) occurring in November. The distance between the Moon and Aldebaran (α Tauri) dips to below 3° only in June but our satellite closes in on Antares (α Scorpii) all year, with the distance between the two bodies finally becoming less than 3° in August; monthly occultations of this bright star will begin next year. The open star cluster M45 (Pleiades) is also a lunar target in the latter part of the year. A number of occultations of planetary bodies takes place, with Mercury, Venus, Mars and Uranus all disappearing behind the Moon’s disk at various times of the