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Happy new year!
The new year has officially kicked off, and 2024 is promising a number of celestial spectacles. From meteor showers to eclipses, the skies will be filled with a multitude of cosmic marvels for the next 12 months.
Here are five of the top celestial events of 2024.
THE Quadrantid METEOR SHOWER
If you were worried you'd have to wait a while for the first celestial event of the year, we have some good news. The first sky spectacle of the year is very soon. In fact, it's happening this week.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to arrive this week, and peak on Thursday, Jan. 4. At its peak, the shower could bring anywhere from 25 to 120 meteors per hour, and has the potential to be the strongest shower of the year, according to the American Meteor Society.
PENUmBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
In March, we will see the first eclipse of the year: a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse.
A Penumbral Lunar Eclipse happens when the Moon passes through the partial shadow of the Earth, also known as the penumbra. During this eclipse, the Moon will only slightly darken. However, it will be visible across all of North America.
The eclipse will begin at 4:53 UTC on March 25, and is expected to last approximately 280 minutes, according to Eclipse Wise.
THE 2024 GREAT AMERICAN SOLAR ECLIPSE
The year's most anticipated celestial event by far is the total solar eclipse happening on Monday, April 8.
This eclipse is going to be absolutely breathtaking, with an expected totality duration of 4 minutes and 27 seconds. That's nearly twice as long as the total eclipse of 2017.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth when the Moon is closer to our planet. This completely blocks the face of the Sun, causing the sky to darken.
Those lucky enough to be in the path of totality will have the best view of the total eclipse. The Sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona, becomes visible during totality.
This mystifying outer layer of the Sun is usually blocked by its extremely bright face, but the total eclipse will offer a rare opportunity to view it.
In addition to the spectacular beauty of the Sun's corona, there are a number of other phenomena to get excited about during a total eclipse.
As the eclipse approaches totality, the temperature of the air begins to drop, and the speed and direction of the wind will change. Once the solar eclipse reaches totality, nocturnal animals will sometimes wake up thinking that it's already nighttime, and vice versa for non-nocturnal wildlife.
This eclipse is particularly exciting because it marks both the first and last one that many people around the world will see for quite some time.
This eclipse will be the first total eclipse to be seen in Canada since 1979, the first in Mexico since 1991, and the last in the U.S. until 2044. Mark your calendars, because you won't want to miss it!
The Perseids Meteor Shower
In the fall, sky watchers can expect to see the Perseids meteor shower.
The Perseids are one of the best showers of the year, and are known to produce a substantial amount of very bright meteors.
The Perseids run annually from July to August. In 2024, the shower will peak on the night of August 11 and run into the morning of Aug. 12. A majority of the shooting stars will appear to come from the constellation Perseus, but according to SeaSky.org, they can appear anywhere in the sky.
The Geminids Meteor Shower
The annual Geminids meteor shower will wrap up the year in December.
Named after the constellation Gemini, the Geminids meteor shower is going to be one of the most active meteor showers of 2024, with as many as 120 meteors produced per hour.
The shower is a product of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon and is one of the most anticipated celestial events of the year due to the bright and colorful meteors it produces.
The Geminids meteor shower will peak on the night of Dec. 13 and run into the morning of Dec. 14.
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