In fact, October’s annular solar eclipse over Nevada isn’t the only exciting thing happening over the Silver State, there are a host of celestial events to watch in 2024, including lunar eclipses, comets, and planetary motions.
Here’s what’s in store for Nevada skywatchers next year.
2024 solar eclipse over Nevada
March 24-25: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: This eclipse will be visible from almost anywhere in North America (except western Alaska). Don’t expect anything dramatic to happen; only the moon will pass through Earth’s outer shadow. Event hours are from 9:53 p.m. to 2:32 a.m., with maximum coverage shortly after midnight.
April 8: Solar Eclipse: If you saved your eclipse glasses from October’s annular solar eclipse, you’ll have another chance to use them in 2024. Northern Nevada will not be in the direct path of another solar eclipse, but will see about 35% of the sun being obscured during the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, from 10:19 a.m. to 12:23 p.m.; maximum coverage hours for 11:19 am
September 17: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: This eclipse will be visible from anywhere in the continental United States. Much like the March 24-25 solar eclipse, the moon will mostly pass through Earth’s outer shadow, although a small portion of the moon will pass through the darkness of Earth’s umbral shadow.The event will be visible when the moon rises shortly after 7 p.m., with maximum coverage at 7:44 p.m.; end at 9:47 p.m.
Comet will arrive in 2024
In 2024, two comets will appear in our skies, which has some optimistic definitions of the word “appear.”
Comet Ponce-Brooks, March-April: The comet, first recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1385, approaches the sun every 71 years. Its next appearance will be this spring, although it will be difficult to see with the naked eye due to its proximity to the sun. In the evening, the sky should be low in the west.
Comet Chukinshan-Atlas, mid-October: The newly discovered comet will be most visible in the southwestern evening sky from October 12 to 19, rising higher in the sky each day. The full moon (a common enemy of skywatchers) will appear on October 17, which will reduce visibility on later dates.
2024 Meteor Shower Over Nevada
There will be a large number of meteor showers in late 2024, with six meteor showers peaking in the 11 weeks from October to December. Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through debris fields of extinct comets and meteors. The most powerful meteor showers on the calendar are the five-day Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on August 12, and the four-day Geminid meteor shower, which peaks on December 14.
The best time to view the meteor shower is during the new moon phase or before the moon rises when the sky is dark. This bodes well for late-night Perseid meteor shower watchers in August, where the first quarter moon will set before midnight, but it’s scary news for Geminid meteor shower watchers, who will be dealing with a full moon during the shower’s peak.
Here are the peaks and visual intensity levels of the 10 meteor showers visible in the Northern Hemisphere in 2024, courtesy of britannica.com:
- January 3-4: Quadrantid meteor shower (center)
- April 21-22: Lyrid meteor shower (irregular)
- July 29: Alpha Capricornid meteor shower (center)
- August 12-13: Perseid meteor shower (strong)
- October 7: Draconid meteor shower (irregular)
- October 21-22: Orionid Meteor Shower (Part 2)
- November 4-5: Taurid meteor shower (weak)
- November 17-18: Leonid meteor shower (irregular)
- December 13-14: Geminid meteor shower (strong)
- December 21-22: Ursid meteor shower (center)
All full moon dates in 2024
The year begins as usual with the Wolf Moon on January 25th. The Old Farmer’s Almanac says that the name of the Wolf Moon comes from the way wolves howl at the full moon in the middle of winter; “Indian Country Today” calls it the Sioux name for “wolves running to the moon.” (Either way, it’s a great excuse to watch Wolf Pack basketball games, with the Nevada women’s team hosting Colorado State University on Jan. 23 and the Nevada men’s team hosting Colorado State University on Jan. 24.)
Here are the dates for all 12 full moons in 2024:
- January 25: Wolf Moon
- February 24: Snow Moon
- March 25: Worm Moon
- April 23: Pink Moon
- May 23: Flower Moon
- June 21: Strawberry Moon
- July 21: Buck Moon
- August 19: Sturgeon Month
- September 17: Harvest Moon
- October 17: Hunter Moon
- November 15: Beaver Month
- December 15: Cold Moon
Not the year 2024, not a celestial body, but…
SpaceX is scheduled to conduct another launch next Thursday night (December 28) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Southern California, 330 miles south of Reno, which can be seen in northern Nevada if the southern sky is not too cloudy. launch.
The rocket will carry 21 Starlink Internet satellites, which will be added to thousands of Starlink Internet satellites that provide Internet access to remote locations 340 miles above the Earth’s surface. The service has more than 1.5 million subscribers.
The presentation is scheduled for 9:09 p.m.; skywatchers in northern Nevada can see it by looking due south. Please visit spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ for launch schedule updates.
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Image Source : www.rgj.com