Celestial events of 2024: Beautiful full moons, like the Wolf Moon in January, the Snow Moon in February, and the Worm Moon in March, will light up the night sky over the New Year. These aren’t the only interesting things that will happen in the sky this year.
A total solar eclipse is amazing, but you can also see some of our neighboring planets during different stages of the moon. In 2024, there will also be meteor showers and moon eclipses in the evening, which will make for a spectacular show.
Must-See Events to Mark on Your Calendar in 2024
Quadrantids meteor shower: 3-4 January
The Quadrantids meteor shower in 2024 is one of the most important events in the sky. 3, 4, and 5 January
The meteor shower season starts just a few days after the new year. Between December 26, 2023, and January 16, 2024, the event will happen. On January 3–4, 2024, it will be at its busiest.
Most of the time, it only reaches its brightest point for a couple of hours. This is due to the fact that fireball meteors make brighter and longer-lasting bursts of light and color.
The meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Quadrans Muralis, which is no longer visible. Its source, or starting point, is also in this constellation. When the International Astronomical Union (IAU) put out a list of all the current constellations in 1922, this one wasn’t on it. Today, though, it is thought to have come from the current constellation Bootes.
Most meteor showers are caused by comets, but this one was made by the asteroid 2003 EH1. It takes this asteroid 5.52 years to go around the Sun once.
NASA says that if the weather is good, viewers can see anywhere from 60 to 200 Quadrantid meteors every hour. More people in the Northern Hemisphere can see it than in the Southern Hemisphere, where it can be seen up to 50 degrees south. The meteors will not be seen because the Gibbous Moon is getting smaller.
According to different news sources, it will be at its highest point around 12:53 am UTC on January 4 (around 6:20 am IST) and can be seen from far away.
March 25, 2019: Penumbral moon eclipse
The penumbral lunar eclipse starts the eclipse season of 2024. It happens when the Moon only goes through the penumbra, or outer shadow, of the Earth and not into the umbra, or inner shadow zone. Because of this, it’s hard to notice because there aren’t clear areas of total or partial darkness. Those who look up at the stars can only make out a light across the Moon’s surface.
North America, Mexico, Central America, and South America will all be able to see the penumbral moon eclipse of 2024. It will happen between 4:53 am UTC (10:23 am IST) and 9:32 am UTC (3:02 pm IST).
Total solar eclipse: 8 April
total solar eclipse, visible against a clear evening sky, is a celestial event of great interest. North America will be able to see this cosmic event on April 8.
In the event of good weather, NASA says, “The first place in continental North America to experience totality will be Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 am PDT (11:37 pm IST”). The total solar eclipse’s line of totality will go through the US and Canada. The Moon will go over Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois, as well as Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.
The partial sun eclipse will start at 3:42 pm UTC (9:12 pm IST), a few minutes before the final peak. It will end on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 pm NDT (1:16 am IST), leaving mainland North America.
When you see the complete solar eclipse, it is very important to keep your eclipse glasses on.
Eta Aquarid meteor shower: May 5 and 6
Because the source of the Eta Aquarids is in the constellation Aquarius, which is higher up in the southern sky, most of the light from the shower will be in the southern hemisphere early in the morning. You can expect to see almost 60 meteors an hour if the weather is good.
Space.com says that the Eta Aquarids will be active from April 15 to May 27, 2024, with the high point being on May 5 and 6. It is most likely to be seen in a dark sky with little sunlight getting in the way because it is closer to the new moon.
The famous comet Halley’s leaves behind pieces that cause the Eta Aquarid meteors. The comet will be seen again in 2061. When these dust particles hit the Earth’s atmosphere, they light up and turn into meteors, which are also known as shooting stars. NASA says that the Eta Aquarids are known for moving very quickly. They fly by Earth at about 66 km/h.
Going somewhere dark and lying on your back with your feet pointing toward the east is what you should do. To see the meteors when the shower is at its peak, get used to the dark and look up at the sky.
Perseid meteor shower: 12-13 August
It is one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year and one of the most important events in the sky. EarthSky says that the Perseid meteor shower will be at its strongest at 2:00 pm UTC (7:30 pm IST) on August 12. This means that the best times to see the show will be in the morning on August 11, 12, and 13. At its brightest, between 60 and 100 meteors can be seen every hour.
It is safer to go outside between midnight and dawn, when the first quarter moon will be shining brightly and lighting up the sky with 50% light.
The constellation Perseus sends out the Perseid meteor shower. It’s interesting to note, though, that the constellation is light-years from Earth and the meteors pass through about 100 km below the surface of the world.
The large 109P/Swift-Tuttle comet is to blame for this space event. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you can see meteors all over the sky from July 17th to August 24th.
Saturn at opposition: 8 September
Along their paths, all of the planets in the solar system go around the Sun once. At this point in time, Earth is in the middle of the Sun and all other faraway planets. This event is known as “that planet at opposition.”
As Saturn hits its opposition, it will be straight across from the Sun, at the other end of the night sky. This is when the ringed planet will be perigee, or closest to Earth, and it will also be the brightest.
The huge planet will be in the constellation Aquarius. Even though it is very far away and on the edge of the sky, it will be visible to the human eye from early sunset to early sunrise everywhere the moon is above the horizon.September 18, 2018: Partially cloudy moon
In September, there will be another beautiful stellar show. The third eclipse of the year will happen on September 18 at 2:14 am UTC (7:44 am IST). It will be a partial eclipse of the moon. It starts at 3:16 am UTC and ends at 8:46 am IST.
People in the Americas, the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, parts of Europe, and Antarctica will be able to see the eclipse from places where the moon will be above the horizon.
A partial lunar eclipse happens when the Moon moves into the Earth’s penumbra and the surface of the satellite looks pale and dark. About 80% of the moon’s surface will be in the Earth’s shadow, and at its brightest, only a small part will reach the umbra zone.
Supermoon: 18 September
Plus, this is the first supermoon of 2024, which means that Earth’s natural satellite will be at perigee. Since it will be facing away from the Sun, it will look bigger and brighter than normal. The name “Full Corn Moon” comes from the fact that this full moon happens during harvest time. This phase will start at 2:36 UTC (8:06 am IST) and can be seen anywhere the moon is above the horizon.
Annular solar eclipse: 2 October
When the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth, this big celestial event will happen in 2024. But since it is at apogee (the farthest point from Earth), it can’t block the Sun fully.
Skywatchers see the Moon as a disk put on top of the Sun, making a bright ring around the Sun.
In 2024, the second sun eclipse will mostly happen across the Pacific Ocean. Geographic says the first sighting will happen around 7:07 pm UTC (12:37 am IST on October 3) from Easter Island, where it will be 2:07 pm at that time. After that, the Moon will go across South America and cover some of Chile and Argentina. A partial eclipse will happen in most places along the path of totality.
Supermoon: 17 October
This full moon marks the start of hunting season and is the second supermoon of 2024. The phase, which is called “Hunter’s Moon,” will happen at 11:28 UTC (4:58 pm IST) and can be seen in places where the Moon will be above the horizon.
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November 15, 2018: Supermoon
This will be the last supermoon of 2024. It will happen at 9:30 pm UTC (3:00 am IST). This very bright full moon is called the Beaver Moon after the North American mice that live in water. These soft animals start to build their homes now so they can store food for the cold winter months.
Geminid meteor shower: 13-14 December
The main celestial events of 2024 come to an end with the Geminid meteors’ amazing show.
EarthSky says that the shower will be at its strongest from December 13th to 14th at around 2:00 am everywhere in the world. If you want to see this show, you should go outside at around 2:00 am when there isn’t much light. It will be hard to see these lines, though, if the Moon is bright and waxing gibbous.
For the most part, the Geminid meteor shower is best seen in the Northern Hemisphere. People in the Southern Hemisphere may see fewer stars. Ideally, at peak, the shower sees around 120 meteors per hour. According to NASA, the rate can also reach one meteor per minute.
The radiant lies in the constellation of Gemini, imparting the name. The higher it is in your visible sky, the more the chances of seeing a larger number of meteors. The Geminids are traced to the asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
