The 2024 lunar calendars are here! Best New Year\u2019s gifts in the universe! Check \u2019em out here.<\/p>\n It was a busy year for astronomers, earth scientists and stargazers alike. From a new supernova and comet to the search for alien life, there\u2019s been a lot to talk about! Next year promises to be even busier, with a total solar eclipse in North America and the sun heading toward solar maximum. Come along with us as we review our top 10 stories of 2023.<\/p>\n Comet C\/2023 P1 (Nishimura) burst into our consciousness in August of 2023. It never got as bright as some hoped, but it still made a glorious target for astrophotographers. Comet Nishimura may also be the parent of a quiet meteor shower in December, the Sigma-Hydrids. Read more about comet Nishimura, and view a photo gallery.<\/p>\n The last \u201cwidely accepted\u201d sighting of the ivory-billed woodpecker came in 1944. But there have been various reports of bird watchers spotting it over the years. The most recent report came in May 2023, when the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, provided \u201cmultiple lines of evidence\u201d, including observations, trail cam footage and audio files, that the ivory-billed woodpecker persists. Read more about the ivory-billed woodpecker.<\/p>\n On March 25, 2023, a newly discovered space rock safely swept past Earth. It passed by at about half the Earth-moon distance. Astronomers at the observatory of La Palma, in the Canary Islands, Spain, discovered the asteroid in late February 2023. Officials have ruled out future possible impact risks. Read more about asteroid 2023 DZ2.<\/p>\n In the 1940s, Idaho officials rounded up beavers from populated areas and relocated them \u2013 sometimes by parachute<\/em> \u2013 to remote areas such as Baugh Creek. Now, nearly 70 years later, NASA satellite images show that these areas where beavers settled are lusher, greener, and more resistant to fire and drought. Read more about parachuting beavers.<\/p>\n This summer, Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb went on an expedition in the Pacific Ocean to search for remnants of an interstellar object that crashed there in 2014. While combing the ocean floor with what\u2019s essentially a large magnet, Loeb reported that his team found tiny metallic spherules<\/em> whose composition suggests an unearthly origin. Read more about the odd spherules.<\/p>\n On May 19, amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki discovered a new supernova in the Pinwheel galaxy, aka M101. It was the closest supernova to Earth in a decade. The supernova \u2013 named 2023ixf \u2013 lies in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, near the end of the handle of the Big Dipper. See photos and learn more about the supernova in M101.<\/p>\n On March 22, EarthSky published a story \u2013 about a new peer-reviewed study conducted by researchers at UC-Berkeley and Cornell. The study suggested that the strange object known as \u2018Oumuamua was simply a comet from another solar system. Meanwhile, for the past several years, Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb has been the most vocal scientist in putting forward theories that suggest \u2018Oumuamua might be an alien spacecraft. Avi Loeb emailed EarthSky suggesting what he called a (non-peer-reviewed) \u201ccorrection.\u201d Here is Loeb\u2019s response. <\/p>\n On February 27, astronomers discovered a new asteroid that they labeled 2023DW. For a couple weeks, the asteroid was a one on the Torino scale as an object that was probably unlikely to hit Earth but still merited more attention. But as of March 16, astronomers have now determined that 2023DW will almost certainly not hit Earth on Valentine\u2019s Day, February 14, 2046. Read more about asteroid 2023DW.<\/p>\n In November, astronauts conducting a spacewalk at the International Space Station accidentally lost a tool bag. The object floated off into space and was visible as a 6th-magnitude star. Some people even caught it on video. Read more and see the video of the lost tool bag.<\/p>\n On April 1(Sol 3786), NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover came across some of the weirdest-looking rock formations yet. These rock slabs have rows of more or less equally spaced \u201cspikes\u201d sticking out of them. They kind of look like fossilized spines. In fact, some are playfully calling them dragon bones<\/em>. Read more and see photos of the so-called dragon bones.<\/p>\n Bottom line: The top 10 stories of 2023 is a review of what we\u2019ve learned in the past year from our home planet, Earth, and about our vast universe.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2023\/09\/comet-Nishimura-Abhijit-Patil-San-Jose-CA-sep8-2023-e1694343658872.jpg\")
Top 10 stories of 2023<\/h3>\n
#1 \u2013 Comet Nishimura and the Sigma-Hydrid meteors<\/h3>\n
#2 \u2013 Ivory-billed woodpecker isn\u2019t extinct<\/h3>\n
#3 \u2013 200-foot asteroid 2023 DZ2 passed closer than the moon<\/h3>\n
#4 \u2013 Parachuting beavers created fire-resistant wetland<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2023\/07\/beavers-in-wooden-boxes-parachute-Idaho-Frank-Church-Wilderness-Idaho-Fish-and-Game-e1690389686672.webp\")
#5 \u2013 Sea-going search for alien fragments yielded odd spherules<\/h3>\n
#6 \u2013 New supernova! M101 explosion was closest in a decade<\/h3>\n
#7 \u2013 Was \u2018Oumuamua a comet? Avi Loeb responds to new research<\/h3>\n
#8 \u2013 Asteroid 2023DW won\u2019t hit Earth on Valentine\u2019s Day 2046<\/h3>\n
#9 \u2013 Lost tool bag from spacewalk caught on video<\/h3>\n
#10 \u2013 Dragon bones on Mars? Curiosity spies weird rocks<\/h3>\n