Space: 2023 - a Look Forward to Astronomy in the Coming Year

<p></p><p>This week on The Cosmic Companion, we wrap up season six with a look at… SPACE: 2023. </p><p>In the year 2023, a massive nuclear explosion will rip the Moon from its orbit, sending more than 300 inhabitants of a lunar colony careening into space. [No. No. That’s not right.] Oh, yeah, ANYWAY!</p><p>We are going to give you a look at what’s happening in the night sky over the next 12 months, as well as looking forward to what’s coming up on our show in the coming weeks.</p><p>In January, we will take a glimpse at how 3D environments give us our best look yet at our future beyond the Earth. </p><p>We will also imagine predators in space - what can animal hunters here on Earth teach us about possible predators on distant worlds? We’ll be hunting down ideas with Shark week regular Paul de Gelder. </p><p>On 28 January, we’ll be discussing the history of diversity in space exploration, from its earliest days, up through the modern age and beyond, talking with Meredith Bagby, author of The New Guys. Check that out in episode four of our upcoming season, coming out 7 February. </p><p>If that weren’t enough, we’ll be kicking February off with a new look at the amazing remastered images of the Apollo Project. We welcome NASA expert and historian Andy Saunders to the show, discussing his new work, Apollo Remastered. Here’s a short clip from that interview.</p><p>Join us starting on 4 February to watch the full interview with Andy Saunders, looking at Apollo to Artemis: Our Future on the Moon. </p><p>Naturally, 2023 will feature the usual annular meteor showers, and the Moon is always going to be there. That is… unless a GIANT NUCLEAR EXPLOSION… </p><p>But apart from that possibility, here’s a look forward to the coming year in the night sky. </p><p>On 20 April in the coming year, many amateur astronomers in the Southern Hemisphere will be treated to a hybrid solar eclipse. These events appear total in some areas, and partial in others, hence the name hybrid. </p><p>This eclipse begins in the southern Indian Ocean,