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December 22–January 19
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January 22-February 9
Sources for all astrological content: (Astrological sign, 2024; The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2024) -
Earth reached perihelion, the closest point to the sun in its annual elliptical orbit. Earth was slightly more than 147 million kilometers from our star. Source for all astronomy content: (Plait, 2024) -
People in the western U.S. will be able to see an occultation when the moon pass directly in front of the bright red star Antares. -
January 20–February 18
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February 10-January 28
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February 19–March 20
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People in the southeastern U.S. will be able to see an occultation when the moon pass directly in front of the bright red star Antares.
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The March equinox occurs at 3:06 A.M. UTC on March 20 (11:06 P.M. EDT March 19).
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Spring begins with the Vernal Equinox, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 11:06 p.m. (EST).
Source for all seasonal information: (Farmers Almanac, n.d.) -
March 21–April 19
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Mercury will be as far from the sun toward the east as it gets, a position called greatest eastern elongation. The planet will be about 19 degrees from the sun and nearly directly above it after sunset. -
The moon will pass directly between Earth and the sun, completely blocking our star and creating a total solar eclipse. The moon’s shadow on Earth’s surface will be narrow, so you will need to be directly on the shadow’s path to see it. This “path of totality” will wind its way from Texas up through the Midwest, then over Maine. -
On this day the two planets will be 0.5 degree apart, making a delightful pair. Look west after sunset, when the sky will be fully dark. Uranus will be the greenish “star” to the right of Jupiter. -
April 20–May 20
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May 21–June 21
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Summer begins with the Summer Solstice, Thursday, June 20, 2024, 4:51 p.m. (EST).
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June 22–July 22
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At 5:06 A.M. UTC (1:06 A.M. EDT) Earth will be as far from the sun as it will be all year; the two will be separated by about 152 million km.
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July 23–August 22
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The Perseid meteor shower is one of the year’s most reliable, typically boasting about 60 or more shooting stars per hour. They will peak on the evening of August 12. -
August 23–September 22
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Saturn, will reach opposition on this night, which means it will be opposite the sun in the sky—Saturn will rise at sunset and remain up all night. This also means Earth will be directly between the planet and the sun—an arrangement that will offer the closest, and therefore biggest, view of Saturn’s beauty we can get from Earth’s surface. -
If you live west of the Mississippi, then you will be able to watch the rare spectacle of the moon passing directly in front of Saturn.
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On this month the full moon will happen to occur at the same time our satellite will be near its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit. It will appear roughly 10 percent bigger than normal, making this a so-called supermoon. The moon will be about 350,000 km from Earth, some 30,000 km closer than average.
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Fall begins with the Autumnal Equinox, Sunday, September 22, 2024, 8:44 a.m. (EST).
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September 23–October 23
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The moon will be about 350,000 km from Earth, some 30,000 km closer than average.
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October 24–November 21
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Neptune will be occulted by our satellite in the early evening of November 11, and this will be visible throughout the U.S. and most of Canada.
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The moon will be about 350,000 km from Earth, some 30,000 km closer than average.
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November 22–December 21
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Jupiter will rise at sunset and be up all night on this date, shining at a brilliant magnitude of –2.8, giving Venus a run for its money. This is the best time all year to see it, and even through binoculars, you can see its four largest moons and some of its striped clouds.
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The Geminids meteor shower shows lots of bright shooting stars that can be seen once the sky gets completely dark. This year, however, the almost exactly full moon will rise at sunset and wash out the sky, dimming this shower considerably.
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Winter begins with the Winter Solstice, Saturday, December 21, 2024, 4:21 a.m. (EST).
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December 22–January 19