The cosmos are always moving, changing, and making way for awe-inspiring astronomical phenomena. These are the best, most exciting events to watch for in the coming weeks and months.
Geminid meteor shower (Nov. 19 - Dec. 24)
One of the last meteor showers of the year, the Geminids will fill the sky with 120 meteors per hour at its peak, which is expected on Dec. 14, according to EarthSky. The meteors travel at 78,000 miles per hour on average and tend to be yellow in color. NASA calls this "one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers."
Unlike the aforementioned meteor showers, the Geminids come from an asteroid called Phaethon rather than a comet. The asteroid is only about three miles in length but produces a surprising amount of debris. The shower can be seen all over the world and starts around 9 or 10 p.m. but is best viewed right before dawn.
Quadrantid meteor show (Dec.12 - Jan.12, 2024)
Closing out 2023 and ringing in 2024, the Quadrantid meteor shower will fill the sky. The phenomenon is expected to peak on Jan. 4. Scientists weren't entirely sure which celestial body the showers originated from until 2003, when they determined it to be an asteroid named 2003 EH1, believed to be a dormant or extinct comet, according to Earthsky.com. Astronomers now also believe a second body, Comet 96P/Machholz, also contributes.
To view the shower, "all you really need is a clear sky" and "lots of patience," remarked Timeanddate.com. It is recommended to "find a secluded viewing spot, away from the city lights." While meteors can appear at any part of the sky, you are most likely to see them at the radiant, or starting point of the shower located near the Big Dipper constellation.
Jupiter and the moon (Jan. 18, 2024)
In a rare sight, Jupiter and the moon will come together in mid-January. "The largest planet in the solar system will dominate the early evening sky on Jan. 18, appearing beside a glowing half-moon," National Geographic reported. This is a good time to photograph the two together.
While the two bodies will be too far apart to properly see through a telescope, they will be "visible to the naked eye or through a pair of binoculars," In-the-sky.org noted. These conjunctions will happen often this year, but will display different moon phases each time. "Train binoculars on Jupiter to spy its own retinue of four large moons lined up beside it," added National Geographic.
Penumbral lunar eclipse (March 25, 2024)
The moon is going to pass through the Earth's shadow in March, creating a penumbral eclipse. Unlike other eclipses, “they are extremely subtle events to observe,” per Inthesky.org. "In a penumbral eclipse the Moon passes through an outer region of the Earth's shadow called the penumbra," and in turn "the Earth appears to cover part of the Sun's disk, but not all of it," and "the Moon's brightness will be reduced."
The phenomenon is difficult to see without “very astute vision, or in carefully controlled photographs." However, "the whole of the Moon's face will pass within the Earth's penumbra, and so the reduction of the Moon's brightness will be more perceptible than usual." The eclipse will be visible all through North America.
Total solar eclipse (April 8, 2024)
A total solar eclipse will be making an appearance over North America in April 2024, and another "won't be visible across the contiguous U.S. again until August 2044," CNN reported.
During the eclipse, the moon will completely cover the sun, causing the sky to briefly become darker as the moon passes through. In addition, "bright stars or planets may shine in the dark sky, and the air temperature will drop as the sun disappears," CNN continued. Viewers should not look at the eclipse directly, especially when any amount of sunlight is visible.
The last total solar eclipse occurred in August 2017 and was known as the "Great American Eclipse."
Update Dec. 26, 2023: This article has been updated throughout.
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