2024 may be the year that wealthy ‘space tourists’ pay billions of dollars to jet into orbit aboard luxury space pods.
But for those who can’t afford such a privilege, remember we’re lucky to be standing on one of the best viewing platforms in the solar system – Planet Earth.
It’s set to be a very special year thanks to some very amazing skygazing events that will grace our skies.
Among them are a close approach of Saturn, a total solar eclipse, several meteor showers and even the opportunity to view one of the brightest known comets.
Here’s all you need to know about the astronomical opportunities of 2024 – including how to see them.
METEOR SHOWERS
There’s a dozen meteor showers in 2024, including the Quadrantids which lit up the night’s skies earlier in the week.
A meteor shower happens when Earth passes through the path of a comet – icy, rocky bodies left over from the formation of the solar system.
When this happens, the bits of comet debris, most no larger than a grain of sand, create streaks of light in the night sky as they burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
These streaks are known as shooting stars, even though they are not stars at all.
The next meteor shower of the year, the Lyrids, peaks between April 22-23 with up to 18 shooting stars flying overhead every hour.
A faster and more prolific shower, the Eta Aquariids, will send up to 50 shooting stars low in the sky on May 6.
But the biggest meteor shower of the year is the Geminids, which will happen on December 14-15 and send up to 150 bright shooting stars whizzing through the sky.
Aside from having the highest rate of shooting stars per hour, the Geminids are special because the meteors are multi-coloured – mainly white, some yellow and a few green, red and blue.
You don’t need a telescope to see meteor showers, but it is best to look out for them in a dark sky, free of moonlight and artificial lights with a wide an unobstructed view of the sky.
SOLAR ECLIPSES
Skygazing fans from around the world will be flocking to North America this springtime to get a glimpse of what is the probably biggest astronomical event of 2024.
The total solar eclipse – when the moon completely blocks the face of the sun – is taking place on April 8.
It will mark the first total solar eclipse visible anywhere in the world since December 2021, and the first seen from the US since August 2017.
Experts have drawn the path that the total solar eclipse will be viewable from in the early afternoon of April 8.
It will sweep across the continent, starting in Mexico and moving through Texas where it will travel up to New England and finish in Canada.
Whatever the location, it should be visible for about four minutes.
Shaded area marks the moon’s shadow moving over the Earth on April 8; people in this area will only see a partial eclipse unless they’re in the path traversed by the black dot right in the centre – in this case they’ll see a total solar eclipse
Like any eclipse, it’s important not to look directly at the sun with the naked eye while the event is happening – not even through sunglasses, binoculars or a telescope.
A simple pinhole projector, solar eclipse viewing glasses, which can be purchased online, or special solar filters are much safer.
Unfortunately the total solar eclipse won’t be viewable outside the path, so people in the UK, Europe or elsewhere won’t be able to see it.
However, it will be seen as a partial eclipse in parts of Britain just before sunset.
With a partial eclipse, the sun is only partially covered by the moon, making it look like the sun has had a ‘bite’ taken out of it.
Unfortunately, the next total solar eclipse isn’t visible in the UK for another 67 years.
Occurring on September 23, 2090, it will be the first total solar eclipse visible from Britain since August 11, 1999, and the first visible from Ireland since May 22, 1724.
It’s well known that a solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and our planet, completely blocking our view of the sun.
Meanwhile, an ‘annular’ solar eclipse is where the moon appears slightly smaller than the sun, leaving a bright ‘ring of fire’ around the moon’s silhouette.
On October 2, an annular solar eclipse will be visible from the southern tips of Argentina and Chile, as well as Easter Island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean.
Other parts of South America including Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru as well as Hawaii and New Zealand should see a partial solar eclipse that day.
TWO SUPERMOONS
There’s usually three or four supermoons in a calendar year, but in 2024 there’ll only be two so you won’t want to miss them.
What’s more, the supermoons are visible from wherever you are on the planet.
A supermoon is the full moon during the closest point in its orbit around Earth – making it appear bigger and brighter than normal.
On a clear night, a supermoon provides a spectacular spectacle, as if our lunar neighbour is growing.
With a decent camera it’ll make for some stunning Instagram-worthy snaps.
The first supermoon of the year will happen on September 18 when the moon will be 222,131 miles away from Earth.
This is quite a bit lower than the average distance between Earth and the moon of 238,855 miles.
The second supermoon of the year, on October 17, will be even closer – 222,055 miles away – and therefore should be an even greater spectacle.
A supermoon is the opposite of a micromoon – the full moon when it’s furthest away from Earth in its orbit.
According to moonphasetoday.com, there will be three micromoons in 2024 – on January 25, February 25 and March 25.
While micromoons don’t have as much visual impact as supermoons, they are a fascinating reminder of the moon’s elliptical orbit around Earth.
SATURN IN OPPOSITION
On September 8 this year, Saturn will be in opposition – and therefore it will be the best time to see it in the night’s sky.
When Saturn in opposition, it means Earth is between the sun and Saturn – and that the two planets are at their closest to each other.
It can make for a great view of the famous ringed planet, even with the naked eye but particularly with a telescope.
Saturn will look like a yellowish star, but it will be distinguishable from the stars because it will emit a steady light rather than twinkling.
‘It is also brighter than the vast majority of stars in the sky so will stick out for that reason,’ said Dr Robert Massey at the Royal Astronomical Society.
With professional camera equipment, astrophotographers have been able to catch amazingly clear shots of the planet when in opposition.
Some of these are so detailed they look like digital renders rather than photos.
COMET PONS-BROOKS
Stargazers have the opportunity to see a comet, known as Pons-Brooks, whizzing through the sky as it reaches its closest point in its orbit to Earth this year.
The comet, first discovered in 1812, has been compared with the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars because of its pair of ‘horns’ seen in images.
Pons-Brooks is set to come as close as 72.5 million miles (116.8 million km) to the sun on April 21.
Following that, a close approach with Earth of 144 million miles (232 million km) will happen on June 2.
However, if you’re in the northern hemisphere, the best time to see it will be sooner, according to Jessica Lee, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
Although it’s difficult to predict what a comet looks like and how bright it will become, the public should look out for what looks like ‘an irregularly shaped dirty snowball’.
‘It’s predicted that this comet will reach maximum brightness for viewers in the northern hemisphere in late March,’ Lee told MailOnline.
‘In late March the comet will be in the constellation of Aries, which is in the western sky just after sunset.
‘Ideally you should go somewhere with a clear view of the horizon in the west, and pick a night with clear skies.
‘Like all faint objects it will be easier to see if you let your eyes adjust to the dark first, so avoid looking at bright objects (like your phone screen) for at least 15 minutes.
‘If it’s too faint to see with your eyes, binoculars or telescopes will be able to make it out.’
Although the the comet will continue to approach the sun after March, it will get too close to the sun to be visible to Earthlings.
However, during the solar eclipse in the US on April 8, it might be visible during the day whilst the moon is blocking light from the sun, Lee said.
From June onwards, it will only be visible to observers in the southern hemisphere and it will grow progressively fainter as it’s gravitationally flung back to the outer solar system
Its next close approach is not until 2095 – so for most of us it really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
