Meteors, eclipses, stars & space: What to watch for in the sky in 2024
For stargazers, the rest of 2024 offers no shortage of opportunities for lunar and celestial events worth looking for. Highlighted by a much-anticipated total solar eclipse, lovers of space and sky will want to mark their calendars for plenty of astronomical goings-on this year.
Grab a telescope and binoculars and get your eclipse glasses ready! A comprehensive astronomical calendar for 2024 is available here through In-The-Sky.org. Here are a few of the highlights.
Total solar eclipse, April 8, 2024
The standout event of the year will be a total solar eclipse that will go over North America and several major U.S. cities on April 8.
Weather permitting, it will be visible on a path from Mexico through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine before venturing into eastern Canada.
For many Americans, the event will be one of the biggest astronomical phenomena since the August 2017 total eclipse.
How to spot the International Space Station
For opportunities to see the International Space Station in your area, check out spotthestation.nasa.gov. Here's good information on how and when you can spot the ISS from Raleigh from NASA's Spot the Station website. The ISS flies at approximately 17,500 miles per hour! For comparison, an airplane normally flies at about 600 miles per hour.
When to see full moons and supermoons
A supermoon is when a full moon is closer to the earth than normal and appears larger and fuller in the sky. Some astronomers say the phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90 percent of perigee — its closest approach to Earth in orbit.
There are 12 full moons during 2024 with September and October's lunar events being considered supermoons as well.
- January 25: Wolf moon
- February 24: Snow moon
- March 25: Worm moon
- April 23: Pink moon
- May 23: Flower moon
- June 21: Strawberry moon
- July 21: Buck moon
- August 19: Sturgeon moon
- September 17: Harvest moon
- October 17: Hunter’s moon
- November 15: Beaver moon
- December 15: Cold moon
Rare comet visible in 2024
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has an orbital period of 71 years, similar to Halley's Comet. The comet's next perihelion passage is on April 21, 2024. The closest approach to earth will come on June 2, 2024. On July 20, 2023, the comet had what’s called an outburst, suddenly brightening by about six magnitudes! The coma, a fuzzy cloud around the nucleus, came to give a horned shape during the outburst, which led some outlets to give the comet the nickname.
If you own a large telescope, you may be able to spot the comet now. It could reach binocular range by March. It will share the sky with the eclipsed sun in April.
"It's always really cool to see a comet and it's a pretty rare thing," said NASA Ambassador Tony Rice.
"You just never know if it's actually going to be visible or not," Rice said. "You never know if a comet is going to exist by the time that it reaches that point mathematically, but it could very well break apart between now and that time."
When to see meteor showers
Meteor showers are always a favorite for stargazers.
"To see the most meteors, it's best to look to the darkest part of your sky," Rice said. "The way you are going to absolutely see the most meteors is patience. The longer you're out there looking, it gives your eyes time to adjust to the darkness and you'll see a lot more that way. The meteors aren't spread out and can come in clumps. The longer you're out there, the more you're likely to see."
Here is a list of some of the more visible meteor showers occurring in 2024. Some of them will make for better viewing experiences than others.
Lyrids (April 21-22)
The Lyrids are typically bright, fast-moving and do not leave a trail. This meteor shower has also produced fireballs or brief very bright flashes as large, but still not much larger than a small stone, explode as the friction of moving through the atmosphere at about 29 miles per second builds up.
Unfortunately, conditions are not as good for viewing Lyrids this year because light from the nearly full moon will make meteors more difficult to see.
Eta Aquariids (May 5-6)
Conditions could be good, with only about 15 percent of the Moon lit. The Aquariids constellation is Aquarius, hence the shower's name, and lies on the ecliptic, the Sun's path in the sky.
Southern Delta Aquariids (July 29-30)
The Aquariids will be best viewed in the pre-dawn hours. The shower will reach peak activity the night of July 29.
Perseids (Aug. 11-12)
About 50 percent of the moon will be lit during the peak of the shower. The shower will peak on Aug. 12 and the best time for viewing will be from roughly midnight until dawn.
Geminids (Dec. 13-14)
The Geminids are one of the most spectacular and reliable meteor showers of the year, known for their bright and colorful fireballs. The shower is expected to reach peak activity the night of Dec. 13. Unfortunately, the moon will be nearly full, presenting significant interference.
Aphelion (July 5-6) and Perihelion (Jan. 2)
In 2024, July 5-6 marks aphelion, which is when the earth is at its furthest from the Sun. Earth will be more than 94.5 million miles from its star during aphelion. The earth was at its closest to the sun on Jan. 2, which is referred to as perihelion. At that time, the earth was about 3 million miles closer to the sun than at its furthest point in orbit.
Moon mission delayed for 2025
It's worth noting that Artemis II is now set for Sept. 2025! Artemis II is the first crewed mission on NASA's path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon. The launch was previously scheduled for Nov. 2024. North Carolina native and NC State University graduate Christina Koch is part of the crew.
The Artemis II flight test will be NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft. The mission is expected to pave the way to land the first woman on the Moon on Artemis III.
