I HAVE been making notes about the stargazing spectacles I hope to see this year. Many depend on being in the right place at the right time, but there are lots of great things to look out for wherever you are. Here are a few of the most exciting cosmic events in 2024.
First up, meteor showers. These grace us every year, and the big hitters will be the usuals: the Lyrids in April, August鈥檚 Perseids and December鈥檚 Geminids. This year, the Eta Aquarids, which peak on 6 May, will coincide with almost no moonlight, making them one to watch out for too.
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I am also looking forward to the dates when the planets line up with the stars or the moon to look particularly special. On 18 January, the half-lit moon will appear close to Jupiter in the night sky. There will be a lunar occultation of Venus on 7 April, visible in eastern parts of North America, where Venus will pass behind the moon. On 20 April, there will be a five-planet alignment, with Venus, Mercury, Neptune, Mars and Saturn all visible in a row just before sunrise. Then, on 18 December, there will be a lunar occultation of Mars, when Mars will pass behind the moon and then pop out again. This will only be visible from the north of the UK, and some parts of Canada, Greenland, Russia and Alaska.
On 8 April, a total solar eclipse will be visible from a 185-kilometre-wide strip across North America, stretching from Mexico to Canada and going through 13 US states. Elsewhere in North America, a partial eclipse will be visible. For those in the path of totality, the moon will block the sun for over 4 minutes, making it so dark that some stars and planets will be visible. Having seen my first total solar eclipse last year in Western Australia (pictured), I am looking forward to seeing this one in Texas.
We will then be graced with three supermoons in a row in September, October and November. These full moons will appear slightly bigger and brighter than usual. There will also be an annular solar eclipse on 2 October, which happens when there is a solar eclipse but the moon is too far from Earth to block out all of the sun, leaving a 鈥渞ing of fire鈥� around the moon as it passes in front of the sun. This will be visible from a small stretch of land across the southern tip of South America.
Whenever there are solar eclipses, there are lunar eclipses too. The lunar eclipse on 17 September, two weeks before the annular solar eclipse, will be a partial eclipse visible from Europe, most of Africa and most of North and South America.
These are just a handful of standout dates for your diary. But I will be making time to go stargazing all year, watching the planets move and constellations change. As long as it isn鈥檛 cloudy, any night spent looking at the stars is worth it.
Abigail Beall is a features editor at New Scientist and author of The Art of Urban Astronomy. Follow her @abbybeall
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