A teenage girl uses the astronomy telescope to observe the stars on a cold winter night. (Imgorthand/Getty Images)
2024 may be winding down, but as the new year approaches there are still several fascinating astronomical events taking place in December and January. And the good news is: You can see and experience almost all of them with your own eyes.
Keep reading for six space events to look forward to in the next few weeks this winter.
Bundle up for the shortest day: The Winter Solstice
When? Dec. 21
Billions of years ago, when the solar system was first forming, there were many more “mini planets” than the planets we know today. Astronomers believe that at one point, Earth collided with a mini planet called Theia, which caused our planet to tilt by 23 degrees.
Or as Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer and professor at the University of San Francisco’s Fromm Institute, said: “The Earth was in a traffic accident and has never been able to straighten out.”
An illustration shows the illumination of the Earth during various seasons and its movement around the sun. (iStock)
Thanks to Theia and that small tilting of our planet, we can now enjoy the changing of the seasons. During the summer, the Northern Hemisphere leans into the sun, and we get more daylight and warmth — while in winter, our planet leans away from the sun, resulting in shorter days and cooler weather.
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During the winter solstice that occurs on Dec. 21 this year, Earth will experience the shortest day of the year as our planet goes through “the greatest leaning away” from the sun, Fraknoi said. The sun will rise at 7:21 a.m. and set at 4:54 p.m., giving us only about 10 hours of daylight during the winter solstice — compared to 15 hours of light during the summer solstice.
See the largest planet shining: Aftereffects of Jupiter at Opposition
When? Throughout December
NASA’s Juno mission captured this view of Jupiter’s Southern Hemisphere during the spacecraft’s 39th close flyby of the planet on Jan. 12, 2022. (NASA)
Once every 13 months, Earth will be exactly between the sun and planet Jupiter, making the giant planet more bright and visible to the naked eye. While this alignment of the Earth, Jupiter and the sun — what’s known as Jupiter’s opposition — already occurred just a few days ago on Dec. 7, you still have a chance to see the planet as a brighter star for a few more weeks. Jupiter will be visible throughout the night in the south-east and highest in the sky just after midnight.
Watch a winter light show: The Geminid meteor shower peaks
When? Dec. 14
A view of the Geminid meteor shower and stargazing at the Tunnel View of Yosemite National Park in California, United States, on Dec. 14, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images))
The almost full moon that night could wash out the fainter meteors, but if you’re planning to go see it, check the weather and stay warm! The Geminids peak in the early hours of Saturday, Dec. 14.
See the red planet blazing: Mars at Opposition
When? Jan. 16
An illustration of the night sky on Dec. 7 showing the full Cold Moon occulting Mars. (Sky Safari Astronomy)
Another neighboring planet, the fiery Mars, will be in opposition on Jan. 16, when Earth passes between Mars and the sun. During this event, which occurs about every two years, you can look towards the east after sunset and observe Mars as a bright, reddish-orange star. It will be highest in the sky at about midnight.
Look for a (slightly) swollen sun: Earth at Perihelion
When? Jan. 4
The sun radiates huge amounts of electromagnetic energy in all directions. Earth is only one small recipient of the sun’s energy; the sun’s rays extend far out into the solar system, illuminating all the other planets. (NASA)
On Jan. 4, 2025, at around 5:30 a.m. PST, our planet will be at “perihelion” — that is, at its closest to the sun. Because of its elliptical orbit, scientists can calculate when the Earth will be at its closest and farthest point from the sun.
At perihelion, the Earth receives 7% more solar energy than when the planet is at its furthest from the sun. To many who aren’t on the lookout, the sun may just look the same as any other day — but it will actually appear slightly larger than any other day in the year.
And finally, the one you can’t see: The Parker Solar Probe will ‘touch the sun’
When? Dec. 24
The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket launches NASA’s Parker Solar Probe to touch the sun from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 12, 2018, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Parker Solar Probe is humanity’s first-ever mission into a part of the sun’s atmosphere called the corona. The probe will directly explore solar processes that are key to understanding and forecasting space weather events that can impact life on Earth. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)
On a mission to investigate the mysteries of the largest star in our solar system, NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe in 2018 to study the sun’s outer atmosphere: its corona. Since 2018, the probe has completed seven Venus gravity assist maneuvers — also known as flybys — with the recent and final one in November this year.
On Dec. 24, the unmanned spacecraft made out of composite material that can withstand temperatures of up to 2500 F will make history by becoming the closest object ever to the sun. As the probe gets closer to the sun’s orbit, the faster it will go, claiming the title of the fastest vehicle ever made, Fraknoi said.
“It will speed up to 430,000 mph. Don’t try that on Freeway 280,” he said.
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