Biggest astronomical events to look out for in 2024: Checkout the complete list
Eclipses, meteor showers, northern lights and full moon. Find out how and when to watch the biggest astronomical events of 2024, listed right below for you…
From meteor showers to full moons and eclipses, if you're an astronomy fan, there's a lot to add to your calendar for the upcoming year.
This year sky watchers will get to see a total solar eclipse, two lunar eclipses and a dozen of meteor showers.
Here's a list of the biggest astronomical events to look out for in 2024:
Meteor shower 2024 schedule
As per NASA, meteor showers are caused by debris entering the Earth's atmosphere at 35km per second.
Jan. 3-4: Quadrantid meteor shower features an average of 25 meteors per hour at the peak. The shower is short and lasts from about midnight to dawn.
April 21-22: Lyrid meteor shower has an average of 10 meteors per hour in dark skies. This shower is visible from both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, but is more active in the Northern Hemisphere.
May 4-5: Eta Aquariid meteor shower is bigger in the Southern Hemisphere where the meteor's radiant is higher in the sky. The shower is usually seen closer to the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere.
July 29-30: Delta Aquariid meteor shower usually produce between 10 and 20 meteors per hour.
Aug. 11-13: Perseid meteor shower feature over 50 meteors at its peak.
Oct. 8-9: Draconids meteor shower mark the start of a season of meteor shower. After the Draconids, a shower occurs every one to two weeks until late December
Oct. 21-22: Orionid meteor shower feature some of the brightest and fastest streaking stars.
Nov 8-9: Taurid meteor shower is a weaker shower with only a few meteors seen each night.
Nov. 17-18: Leonid meteor shower typically have 10 to 15 shooting starts per hour, but sometimes have been known to produce "meteor storms," which result in thousands of meteors streaking the sky.
Dec. 13-14: Geminid meteor shower are the biggest meteor shower of the year and can produce 75 meteors per hour at its peak.
Dec. 21-22: Ursid meteor shower is visible in the Northern Hemisphere as the radiant is too far north of the equator for good viewing in the Southern Hemisphere.
Solar and Lunar Eclipses 2024 schedule
During a solar eclipse, the moon blocks the sun from view, while during a lunar eclipse, the earth is positioned between the moon and the sun, preventing sunlight from reaching the moon's surface.
March 25: Penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible from North America as the moon covers the sun.
April 8: Total solar eclipse will cross North America as the moon passes between the sun and Earth and blocks the face of the sun. The sky will darken like it was dawn or dusk. This eclipse will be visible from the southwestern U.S. up to the central and northeastern states.
Sept. 17: Penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible from North America as the moon covers the sun.
Full Moon 2024 schedule
The next full moon/wolf moon will be happening on January 25 and will reach it's peak illumination around 11:54 am.
Jan. 25: Wolf Moon
Feb. 24: Snow Moon
March 25: Worm Moon
April 23: Pink Moon
May 23: Flower Moon
June 21: Buck Moon
Aug. 19: Sturgeon Moon
Sept. 17: Harvest Moon
Oct. 17: Hunter's Moon
Nov. 15: Beaver Moon
Dec. 15: Cold Moon
Will we get to see the Northern Lights in 2024?
Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, are created as a result of solar activity. When particles from a coronal mass ejection arrive to Earth they interact with the planet's magnetic field, causing the Northern Lights to appear in the sky.
We're currently in a solar cycle that started in 2019, so solar activity will increase over the next 5½ years. That means you're more likely to see Northern Lights over the next half decade. But it's hard to tell when exactly Wisconsinites could see the lights.