Astronomy 2024: The Year in Brief
The turn of the calendar sees us just over three months out of the April 8th overall solar eclipse across North America. Lots of late eclipse chasers are now provided with an option: do I head towards the much better potential customers for clear skies in Mexico or Texas, or take my opportunities with the dicey spring skies of the U.S. northeast or the Canadian Maritimes?
Leading 12 Events: Astronomy 2024
Astronomy is always a paradox of unknowns and knowns. Occultations and eclipses are surefire bets in a clockwork Universe, while clear skies and whether the next promoted great comet or meteor outburst will perform are less certain. Heres our fast rundown of the finest of the finest skywatching occasions for 2024:
– The Eta Aquariid meteor shower on May 6th, with a ZHR= 50.
– The Moon occults Spica 8 antares and times fourteen times in 2024.
– The Moon occults Saturn 10 times in 2024.
– The April 8th overall solar eclipse across North America
– Solar activity ramps up ahead of the peak of Solar Cycle 25.
– The September 18th partial lunar eclipse for the Americas, Europe and Africa.
– Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS might be brilliant towards completion of 2024.
– The October 2nd annular solar eclipse for the southern idea of South America.
– Mercury passes 7 from Jupiter on June 4th.
– The Moon heads towards a Major Lunar Standstill in January 2025.
– The 2024 phantom of Comet 12P (which reaches perihelion on April 21st).
– A Leonid meteor outburst in November 2024?
Catching the total solar eclipse in 2017. Credit: Dave Dickinson.
The Sun, Seasons and Solar Cycle in 2024.
Expect the Sun to be hectic in 2024 in regards to area weather and sunspots, as we head towards the peak of the solar cycle 25 in 2025. 2023 had an average sunspot number of around 120 and no pristine days, the first year considering that 2015 where this held true. Solar activity in 2023-2024 is climaxing well ahead of expectations, leading to a stronger than expected solar maximum in 2024. This means more sunspots, more wild area weather, and more aurorae for folks watching from mid- to high- northern latitudes.
The huge seasons for the northern hemisphere in 2024 start on:.
Spring (northward) equinox: March 20th.
Summer season (northward) solstice: June 20th.
Fall (southward) equinox: September 22nd.
Winter season (southward) solstice: December 21st.
Naturally, things are reversed south of the equator. Aurorae tend to get around the equinox due to a phenomenon called the Russell-McPherron Effect therefore does GEOSat flare season, as satellites escape in geosynchronous/geostationary orbit lighten up into naked eye presence, then wink out when they struck the Earths shadow.
The solstice tends to see periods where the International Space Station enters reaches complete lighting, favoring the northern hemisphere in June and the southern hemisphere in December.
In 2024, the Earth reaches perihelion on January 2nd, and aphelion July 5th.
Transits through the field of view for the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHOs) LASCO C3 and C2 imagers for 2024. Credit: Worachate Bloonplod.
The Moon in 2024.
The course of the Moon continues its trek towards the Major Lunar Standstill in early 2025, riding extra high versus the ecliptic and the horizon in the winter season, and low in the summertime.
The Moon also reaches its closest perigee for 2024 on March 10th at 356,893 kilometers far-off, and is at its farthest apogee on October 2nd at 406,516 kilometers remote.
We also have a Black Moon on December 30th, with the 2nd New Moon in a month with two. February 24th is the Minimoon or smallest obvious Moon for the year, and October 17th is the Supermoon or largest Full Moon of 2024.
The Moon likewise occults (passes in front of) numerous intense stars and planets in its passage through the sky. The Moon occults Antares 14 times in 2024, and Spica 8 times:.
Antares Events.
( note: +/- denotes waxing/waning stage for the Moon, along with the percent illuminated).
– January 8th for western North America (-11% Moon).
– February 5th for southeast Asia (-24% Moon).
– March 3rd for Central America (-51% Moon).
– March 30th for the central Pacific (-77% Moon).
– April 26th for the Middle East and east Africa (-93% Moon).
– May 24th for northern South America (-99% Moon).
– June 20th for the main Pacific (+70% Moon).
– July 17th for South Africa (+84% Moon).
– August 14th for the South Pacific (+70% Moon).
– September 10th for western Australia (+45% Moon).
– October 7th for the South Atlantic (+21% Moon).
– November 4th for the southeast Pacific (+10% Moon).
– December 1st for South Africa (+1% Moon).
– December 28th for the main Pacific (-6% Moon).
The Moon occults Spica on July 14th. Credit: Occult 4.1.2.
Spica Events:.
– June 16th for Russia (+73% Moon).
– July 14th for North America (+58% Moon).
– August 10th for southeast Asia (+32% Moon).
– September 6th for East Africa (+12% Moon).
– October 3rd for Hawaii (in the daytime, +1% Moon).
– November 27th for North America (-12% Moon).
– December 24th for southeast Asia (-26% Moon).
The Moon occults Saturn on September 17th. Credit: Occult 4.1.2.
Planetary occultations: next, there are 15 planetary versus lunar occultations in 2024, involving 4 worlds:.
– Mercury (March 11th) by the +3% Moon, for the South Pacific.
– Venus (April 7th) (daytime) by the -2% Moon, for eastern North America.
– Venus (September 5th) by the +6% Moon for Antarctica.
– Mars (May 5th) by the -8% Moon for Madagascar.
– Mars (December 18th) by the ~ 87% Moon for the Arctic.
Saturn Occultation Events:.
– April 6th by the -7% Moon for Antarctica.
– May 3rd by the -26% Moon for the southern Indian Ocean.
– May 31st by the -39% Moon for southern South America.
– June 27th by the -64% Moon for northern New Zealand.
– July 24th by the -86% Moon for southeast Asia.
– August 21st by the -95% Moon for northern South America and northwest Africa.
– September 17th by the +99% Moon for western North America.
– October 14th by the +89% Moon for India and eastern Africa.
– November 11th by the +77% Moon for Central America.
– December 8th by the +51% Moon for the western Pacific.
The course of the April 8th total solar eclipse throughout North America. Credit: Michael Zeiler.
Eclipses in 2024.
Of course, the Great North American Eclipse on April 8th, 2024 controls the year. But 2024 likewise includes other eclipses too spanning two eclipse seasons, including:.
– March 25th: an 87% penumbral lunar eclipse, preferring the Americas.
– April 8th: An overall solar eclipse, (optimum totality: 4 minutes and 28 seconds) spanning North America. This eclipse could feature an uncommon treat, with (naked eye?) comet 12P/Pons-Brooks nearby, just 25 degrees east of the Sun.
– September 18th: A 9% partial lunar eclipse favoring the Americas, Europe and Africa.
– October 2nd: An annular eclipse with an optimum annularity of 7 minutes, 25 seconds favoring the southern suggestion of South America.
4 eclipses (2 lunar and 2 solar) is the minimum number that a fiscal year can consist of.
The path of the October 2nd, 2024 annular solar eclipse. NASA/GSFC/A. T. Sinclair.
The Inner Planets in 2024.
The two inner worlds Mercury and Venus never ever roaming far from the Sun. In early 2024 Venus remains in the dawn, but does not reach greatest elongation in 2024. Instead, Venus reaches inferior conjunction on the solar farside opposite to the Earth on June 4th, transitioning from the dawn to the dusk sky.
Mercury reaches biggest elongation 7 times in 2024, an extra one versus its regular six:.
-24 degrees west at dawn (January 12th).
-19 degrees east at dusk (March 24th).
-26 degrees west at dawn (May 9th).
-27 degrees east at dusk (July 22nd).
-18 degrees west at dawn (September 5th).
-23 degrees east at dusk (November 16th).
-22 degrees west at dawn (December 25th).
– Venus likewise occults the +6.4 magnitude star HIP 86060 for India on January 18th, and the +4.7 magnitude star HIP 92111 on (February 1st) for Brazil.
Mercury and Venus also both transit the open star cluster Messier 44 in 2024:.
– Mercury satisfies M44 on July 6th (with asteroid 4 Vesta close by!), 24 degrees from the Sun.
Venus fulfills M44 on July 18th, 11 degrees from the Sun.
The Outer Planets in 2024.
Saturns ring angle in 2024 is 2 to 5 degrees broad, as they head towards edge on in March 23rd, 2024. Jupiters outer moon Callisto continues to miss Jupiter, though thatll change as the orbital plane of the Galilean moons head towards edge-on once again in 2026.
Saturn rings: from broad open, to approaching edge-on in 2024. Credit: Shahrin Ahmad.
Oppositions and the very best season to observe the outer worlds in 2024 include:.
– Pluto (June 23rd).
– Saturn (September 8th).
– Neptune (September 21st).
– Uranus (November 17th).
– Jupiter (December 7th).
The top planet versus planet conjunction for 2024 is Mercury versus Jupiter on June 4th 7 apart and 12 degrees west of the Sun at dawn.
Mercury satisfies Jupiter at dawn on June 4th. Credit: Stellarium.
The top intense star versus asteroid occultation for 2024 happens on June 29th, when asteroid 2819 Ensor occults the +3.2 magnitude star Phi Sagittarii for north Asia.
The leading star versus world conjunction for 2024 is Mercury versus Regulus on September 9th 30 apart, 17 degrees west of the Sun at dawn.
Astronomy 2024: Meteor Showers.
There are 112 meteor showers known and acknowledged by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), about a dozen of which are major yearly favorites. Obviously, showers are always best when the pesky light-polluting Moon is near New and out of the way. In 2024, the very best showers versus the Moon are:.
– Eta Aquariids (May 6th) -1% Moon, ZHR ~ 50.
– Daytime Arietids (June 7th) +4% Moon ZHR ~ 30.
– Delta Aquariids (July 30th) -18% Moon ZHR ~ 30.
– Taurids (October 10th) +45% Moon ZHR ~ 10.
– Andromedids (December 10th) +5% Moon ZHR ~ 20.
Is a Leonid outburst due for November 14th 2024? The Earth may experience the 1633 trail for source comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle … the very same stream that triggered the 2001 outburst.
Comet 12P versus the bright star Vega. Credit: Dan Bartlett.
Comets to Watch For in 2024.
Were definitely due for the next excellent comet of the century. Theres absolutely nothing amazing to see in the sky in terms of comets (yet), that might all promptly alter with the discovery of an intense new comet inbound. Since composing this in late December 2023, these are the following comets expected to break binocular presence:.
-12 P/Pons-Brooks reaches magnitude +3.9 at perihelion on April 21st in the constellation Taurus, 21 degrees east on the Sun.
-13 P/Olbers reaches magnitude +7.5 at perihelion on July 1st in the constellation Lynx, 21 degrees east of the Sun.
-144 P/Kushida reaches perihelion on January 26th at magnitude +7.9 in the constellation Taurus, 126 degrees east of the Sun.
– C/2021 S3 PanSTARRS reaches perihelion on February 15th at magnitude +7.4 in the constellation Pegasus, 23 degrees east of the Sun.
– Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS reaches perihelion on September 28th at magnitude +2.5 in the constellation Hercules, 83 degrees east of the Sun.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS at dawn in late September. Credit: Starry Night.
Weirdness and More:.
Looking further out afield, a couple of double stars on our orbits with spans with short enough to endure reach maximum separation in 2023-2025:.
-70 Ophiuchus reaches a maximum separation of 6.7″;.
– Delta Equulei reaches an optimum separation of 0.3″; and.
– The Pup of the Dog Star Sirius B reaches its optimum apparent separation of 11.5 arc seconds on its 50-year orbit. Real story: I lastly got to cross the Pup off my visual observing life list in 2023, courtesy of Richard Drumm and his access to the 26-inch refractor at the Charlottesville Virginia McCormick Observatory.
Also, 2050.00 celestial collaborates entered into vogue in 2025 versus 2000.00, as well officially be closer to 2050 than 2000 … its strange to think, weve been using 2000.00 (and periodically, 1950.00) for many of our lives.
Waiting for totality in 2017. Credit: Dave Dickinson.
Astronomy 2024 … and a Teaser for 2025.
… and as always, theres more to come. 2025 sees the peak of Solar Cycle 25, the Moon at Major Lunar Standstill, Saturns rings edge on, Mars at opposition, two total lunar and two partial solar eclipses and more.
Dont miss out on all of these occasions and more in Astronomy 2024!
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On April 8th, 2024, the umbral shadow of the Moon crosses the United States for the second time in less than seven years. The path of the October 2nd, 2024 annular solar eclipse. In early 2024 Venus remains in the dawn, however does not reach biggest elongation in 2024. Of course, showers are constantly best when the pesky light-polluting Moon is near New and out of the method. In 2024, the finest showers versus the Moon are:.
Astronomy 2024 features the final total solar eclipse for the CONUS until 2044, and far more.
Its finally time. On April 8th, 2024, the umbral shadow of the Moon crosses the United States for the second time in less than 7 years. Its a big deal, for sure. Theres lots more in store for astronomy 2024. Heres our yearly Universe Today rundown for leading skywatching events to look for in astronomy 2024, pertaining to a sky near you.
