Biggest astronomical events in 2024: Eclipses to meteor showers and full moon schedule
From full moons to eclipses, there's a lot to add to your calendar if you're planning on doing some stargazing or sky-watching this year.
This year's astronomical events will offer the chance to catch a glimpse of a total solar eclipse and two other lunar eclipses, a dozen meteor showers and if we're lucky some Northern Lights, too.
Here's a list of the 2024 astronomical events to put on your viewing calendar this year:
Meteor shower 2024 schedule
Meteor showers are caused by debris entering the Earth's atmosphere at 35 kilometers per second, according to NASA.
Here's a list of the meteor showers to add to your calendar:
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
You might already be planning where you're traveling this spring in order to see the 2024 solar eclipse, where the moon blocks the sun from view.
But you can also add these lunar eclipses to your calendar. During a lunar eclipse, the moon appears darker as the Earth is positioned between the moon and sun, shielding 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, also called the wolf moon, is happening on Jan. 25, and will reach peak illumination around 11:54 a.m. Even though the moon will reach its full phase for a brief time, we could perceive it as full for three days.
Here's the full moon calendar for 2024:
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 there be 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.
How often we see the Northern Lights depends on what's going on with the sun. Over a period of 11 years, the sun goes through a cycle of low to high activity and back to low — which are called solar cycles. 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. It could really happen on any given night, said Gene Hanson, observatory director for the Milwaukee Astronomical Society.
For the most-up-to-date predictions, you can monitor the NOAA aurora forecast tool, where you'll see the prediction for 35 minutes ahead.
Tips on how to view astronomical events:
The best conditions to see the night sky will be with clear skies without clouds or haze. Make sure to check the forecast before heading out.
If you're traveling and planning to view a solar eclipse, make sure you brush up on the safety guidelines. Except during the short phase of a total solar eclipse, it's not safe to look directly at the sun without eye protection. Looking at the sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a solar filter will cause severe eye injuries.
Here's a list of places in Wisconsin that could offer some of the best views of the night sky:
Newport State Park, Ellison Bay
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: When are meteor showers, full moons and solar, lunar eclipses in 2024?
