One of the most memorable aspects of this past year has been the amazing sunrises and sunsets we have experienced. These were caused by the eruption of the Tongan volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai on January 15. The event threw vast quantities of material high into the atmosphere. Even though nearly a year has passed since the explosion, some of that material remains high in the stratosphere and continues to impact our sunrises and sunsets. I shall never forget the incredible crimson hue I saw back in June when watching Matariki rise over the harbour in the pre-dawn hours of June 24.
Otago stargazers got to witness two lunar eclipses this year on May 16 and November 8. The sight of the partially eclipsed moon rising over the Southern Ocean back in May was particularly picturesque. However, for me, the eclipse in November was simply spectacular. The sight of the fully eclipsed moon hanging low over the harbour on a warm still night will linger long in my memories.
With the sun entering a more active phase of its 11-year sunspot cycle we got to enjoy some gorgeous auroras in 2022. I was lucky to be on board two flights into the southern auroral zone in April and July and saw some extraordinary displays of the southern lights. But you didn’t have to fly south to get good views of the aurora, there were several exciting displays easily visible from the ground this year.
Comet Leonard put on a brilliant show in early January. The comet, which has an orbital period of more than 80,000 years, was easily visible to the naked eye and had a really long tail that looked stunning in long-exposure photographs.
This has been an excellent year for astronomy. While there are no total lunar eclipses to look forward to next year, I’m sure we will get a plethora of excellent auroras as solar activity heats up!
