Celestial Occurrences: Dazzling Events to Watch in 2024!

In the chaos of our daily lives, we barely remember the cosmos that extends around us and the cosmic beauty that surrounds us. Visiting space observatories to experience celestial events might not be possible in today’s urban lifestyle. But gazing at the sky and witnessing astronomical events even from a rooftop is surreal.

In this newsletter edition, we bring you major celestial events of the year, which will help you escape the city lights and connect with the heavenly cosmos.

Annual Meteor Showers 

Every space enthusiast knows the unmatched beauty of meteor showers. This year, there will be five meteor showers. Skywatchers can experience these events in dark hours. 

The following  are the names and the timings of the meteor showers occurring this year:

1. Lyrid Meteor Shower
   Date: April 15^th to 29^th

2. Perseid Meteor Shower
   Time: Night of August 12th and before dawn on August 13th 

3. Orionids Meteor Shower
   Time: Best after midnight Oct 21st – 23rd 

4. Leonid Meteor Shower
   Date: Night of November 16^th and 17^th 

5. Geminid Meteor Shower
   Time: Midnight around December 16^th and 17^th 

The Bright Comet A3

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on 22 February 2023. It is currently in the constellation Virgo.  The comet will pass close to the Earth in the fall of 2024. 

Scientists have calculated that Comet A3 will pass closest to the sun on September 28. However, the Earth will experience this phenomenon later, on October 12. According to reports from SkyLive, this comet will be 44 miles away from our planet at its closest point. 

The comet will be visible in the dawn sky before the sunrise. Planetary astronomer Quanzhi Ye, from the University of Maryland, says, “Comets are like cats, they have tails and they do what they want!”

Spectacular Planetary Conjunction of Mars-Jupiter

Planetary conjunctions occur when two or more planets appear near each other in the sky. Although, in reality, these planets are very far away from each other, this is merely an optical illusion.

Such conjunctions occur when the objects share the same right ascension or ecliptic longitude in the sky. Right ascension is the equivalent of longitude on the Earth’s surface projected onto the celestial sphere. The ecliptic is an imaginary line that marks the Sun’s apparent path across the sky during a year.

This year, the beautiful duo of Mars and Jupiter will make a surreal conjunction. It will be visible to the naked eye in the constellation Taurus. Considering the brightness, distance, and visibility of these planets, it will be the best conjunction of the year. 

On August 14, the planetary conjunction of Mars and Jupiter will be visible. From the northern hemisphere, Mars and Jupiter will be seen from midnight to sunrise, whereas from the southern hemisphere, the conjunction will rise in the northeast in the morning before sunrise.

Supermoon Awaiting in October

A supermoon occurs when the moon is full, and its orbit is closest to the Earth. The moon orbits the Earth in an ellipse or oval shape, bringing it close and taking it far away during different times in its orbit.

The point in the moon’s orbit when it is closest to the Earth is called perigee. Astronomers call this phenomenon a perigean (pear-ih-jee-un) full moon, which means the full moon occurs near or when the moon is at perigee.

When the full moon appears at the perigee, it is slightly brighter and larger than a regular full moon and is called a Supermoon.

The biggest full moon of 2024 will occur on October 17th. This will be a must-watch event for all the stargazers.

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Until next time,

Ameya