What’s Up in 2024

Eclipses

The big event of 2024 is the total solar eclipse on April 8. Many of you remember the 2017 total solar eclipse. Millions of people flocked into the path of totality for that one. I expect that this will happen again this year. I’ve seen two total solar eclipses. They were the most incredible things I have ever seen. Words and photographs do not do justice to the experience of totality—one must experience totality to understand. So I encourage everyone to give this a try. Otherwise, you will have to wait two decades for the next total solar eclipse in the United States. The path of totality on April 8 will be more than 100 hundred miles wide and will extend from Texas to Maine. The path of totality just misses the Creation Museum, passing across Indiana to the west. Therefore, we will not have any eclipse-watching program here. I plan to travel to near Muncie, Indiana, to watch this eclipse. We intend to photograph and video this event, possibly live. I’ll give more details as the time approaches. In the meantime, there are many websites on the internet that you can consult to find the place you want to be on April 8 to experience this beautiful part of God’s creation.

There will be two lunar eclipses in 2024, both visible from the United States. However, these eclipses will not be very impressive. The first eclipse, on the night of March 24–25, will be a penumbral eclipse. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the earth’s penumbra, or partial shadow. The moon will dim slightly, but because our eyes automatically adjust for different light levels, it will be difficult to notice the moon’s brightness change visually. However, the camera is not so easily fooled. I hope to take photographs of this eclipse at regular intervals. If I don’t adjust the camera settings (exposure time and ISO), the dimming ought to show up, especially if I can make a time-lapse video from the photographs. If I succeed in this, I will share them in a blog post.

The second eclipse is on the evening of September 17. This eclipse is partial, meaning that the moon will pass through part of the earth’s umbra, or dark shadow. Consequently, there will be a small chunk taken out of the moon for about an hour. However, I emphasize that this partial eclipse is only slight, so you probably won’t be that impressed with this eclipse.

The Planets

What about the planets in 2024? As the year begins, Saturn is low in the southwest sky in the evening. It rapidly approaches the sun and is lost in evening twilight in late February. Saturn reemerges from the sun and into the morning sky in late March. Saturn will be best viewed in summer and autumn. Saturn reaches opposition to the sun on September 7, when Saturn officially makes its transition from the morning to the evening sky. For a decade, Saturn’s rings have been beautiful, even in a small telescope. However, the tilt of the rings has been decreasing for several years, and this year the rings are nearly edge-on, rendering them less impressive than usual.

Jupiter is a grand sight for the first four months of 2024. Look for the brightest appearing “star” in the evening sky. Jupiter will be lost in evening twilight by early May and will reemerge in the morning sky in mid-June. Jupiter reaches opposition December 7, so it will be best placed for viewing from autumn through the first few months of 2025. Even a small telescope will reveal Jupiter’s four Galilean satellites, or moons.

Mars begins the year low in the southeast sky in early morning twilight. It will not be very impressive, but throughout the year, Mars will gradually brighten as the distance between Mars and earth decreases tremendously. Mars will be closest to earth near its opposition in mid-January 2025. To see Mars well through a telescope, it is best to view it within a month or so of opposition. Therefore, the best viewing season for Mars will be at year’s end. But be warned that Mars is a tiny planet, so even through large telescopes, it will look much smaller than either Jupiter or Saturn.

Venus begins the year as the brightest “star” in the morning sky. Look for Venus in the southeast. The distance between Venus and the sun will slowly decrease, with Venus eventually disappearing from the morning sky in the spring. Venus will take its time reappearing low in the southwest in the evening sky during the summer. For most of the year, Venus will appear nearly full and very small in a telescope. However, throughout the summer and autumn, the distance between us and Venus will slowly decrease. By year’s end, Venus will be a fine object even through small telescopes, with better things for Venus in early 2025.

Alas, Mercury is an illusive planet. Being so close to the sun, Mercury is usually lost in the glare of the sun. The best time to see Mercury is when it is near its greatest elongation from the sun. Perhaps the best opportunity to see Mercury in 2024 will be the first two weeks of the year. Look low in the southeast during twilight. Binoculars will help. You will need to start looking before the sky gets very bright. Less advantageous times to see Mercury in the morning sky will be early May to mid-May, early September, and mid-December to the end of the year. The best opportunities to see Mercury in evening twilight will be mid-March to late March, mid-July, and mid-November. Look low in the southwest once the brightest stars have appeared. If you wait until the sky is quite dark, you will have missed Mercury.

Meteor Showers

The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the night of August 12–13. The moon is first quarter the day before, so it will set by midnight, leaving the sky dark during the peak of the shower. However, many meteors can be seen on several nights near the peak. Note that most meteors are visible in the early morning hours. The Geminid meteor shower will peak on the morning of December 14. Unfortunately, the moon is full only a day or two later, so only the brightest of this most intense meteor shower will be seen this year.

Anything Else

That’s my review of the year ahead. As usual, I’ll bring attention to other events, such as comets and occultations, as they arise throughout the year.