JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This year is a great time to keep your eyes on the sky! ✨
Meteor showers, full moons and eclipses will light the night sky in 2024, with many events visible from Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. We will also see the first total solar eclipse cut across the U.S. since 2017!
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Grab your binoculars and check out these celestial events. Save this article in a special tab so you can keep track of what’s coming up!
Note: Event information comes from The Sky and NASA.
January
Jan. 11: New Moon
On Jan. 11, the sun and moon will be aligned — the moon will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 6:57 a.m. EST.
Jan. 25: Wolf Moon
The first full moon of 2024 will take place on Thursday, Jan. 25. The moon reaches peak illumination at 12:54 p.m. EST, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. NASA said that according to this almanac, the Wolf Moon received its name “from the packs of wolves heard howling outside the villages amid the cold and deep snows of winter.”
February
February 9: New Moon
February 24: Full Moon, Snow Moon
February’s full “Snow Moon” reaches peak illumination at 7:30 a.m. EST on Saturday.
March
March 10: New Moon
The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 4:00 a.m. EST.
March 20: March Equinox
The March equinox marks the start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and will occur at 11:06 P.M. EST. It marks the Sun’s crossing above the Earth’s equator, moving from south to north.
March 25: Full Moon
This phase occurs at 2 a.m. EST. March’s full Moon goes by the name Worm Moon.
March 25: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
“Like other lunar eclipses, penumbral eclipses occur whenever the Earth passes between the Moon and Sun, such that it obscures the Sun’s light and casts a shadow onto the Moon’s surface,” according to In The Sky. “But unlike other kinds of eclipses, they are extremely subtle events to observe.”
April
April 8: New Moon
The moon will not be visible in the night sky.
*April 8: Total Solar Eclipse*
Dust off your eclipse glasses: A total solar eclipse will occur on April 8!
On April 8, 2024, the moon will cast its shadow across a stretch of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, plunging millions of people into midday darkness. The total eclipse will be visible in parts of Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. News4JAX will have livestreams available closer to time for those who do not plan on traveling to see this stellar event.
It’s been less than six years since a total solar eclipse cut across the U.S., from coast to coast. That was on Aug. 21, 2017. Click here to read more.
April 22, 23: Lyrids Meteor Shower
Look up! The Lyrids will take place in April and will produce about 20 meteors per hour at its peak! News4JAX will have more information closer to time.
April 23: Full Moon / Pink Moon
This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Pink Moon!
May
May 6, 7: Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower
The Eta Aquarid is an above-average shower, capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. Most of the activity is seen in the Southern Hemisphere.
May 8: New Moon
May 23: Full Moon / Flower Moon
June
June 6: New Moon
June 20: June Solstice
Summer is here! During the June solstice, the Northern Hemisphere will have the longest day and shortest night of the year.
June 22: Full Moon / Strawberry Moon
The Strawberry Moon got its name from the Native American tribes who associated it with the strawberry harvesting season.
July
July 5: New Moon
July 21: Full Moon | Buck Moon
July 22: Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
Be on the lookout for Mercury! The planet Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation of 26.9 degrees from the Sun.
July 28, 29 - Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower
The Delta Aquariids is an average shower that can produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak.
August
August 4: New Moon
The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky.
August 12, 13: Perseid Meteor Shower
The Perseid meteor shower — one of the best of the year — will peak this weekend with dozens of shooting stars per hour visible to the naked eye. The shower will peak on the night of Saturday, Aug. 12, into the early morning of Sunday, August 13. Stargazers should be able to count up to 40 to 60 shooting stars per hour, but from dark locations devoid of light pollution, that number could reach 100 visible meteors per hour.
August 19: Full Moon, Blue Moon
The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated.
The extra full moon of the season is known as a blue moon. Blue moons occur on average once every 2.7 years.
September
September 3: New Moon
September 18: Full Moon, Supermoon
It’s the first of three supermoons for 2024! The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.
September 18: Partial Lunar Eclipse
September 20: Neptune at Opposition
The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to earth. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long.
September 22: September Equinox
It’s fall, y’all!
October
October 2: New Moon
October 2 - Annular Solar Eclipse
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is too far away from the earth to completely cover the sun.
October 7: Draconid Meteor Shower
The Draconid is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour, according to Sea and Sky. The Draconid is an unusual shower in that the best viewing is in the early evening instead of early morning like most other showers.
October 17: Full Moon, Supermoon
The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 11:28 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Hunters Moon!
This is the second of three supermoons in 2024.
October 21, 22: Orionid Meteor Shower
The Orionids are active from Sept. 26 to Nov. 22 and will peak on Oct. 20-21, with clear-sky rates of about 20 meteors per hour. More information will be available closer to the date.
November
November 1: New Moon
November 4, 5: Taurid Meteor Shower
The Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is unusual in that it consists of two separate streams. More information will be available closer to the date.
November 15: Full Moon, Supermoon
It’s the last supermoon of 2024!
This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Beaver Moon because this was the time of year to set the beaver traps before the swamps and rivers froze.
November 16: Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
The planet Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation from the Sun.
November 17: Uranus at Opposition
The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun.
November 17, 18: Leonid Meteor Shower
Look up! A Leonid meteor shower will peak Sunday night into Monday morning! The shower producing up to 15 meteors per hour at its peak.
This is considered the last major meteor show of the year but quell your excitement because the Leonids have been very weak for the past 10 years.
December
December 1: New Moon
December 13, 14: Geminid Meteor Shower
Spend some time under the stars to look for a dazzling display of shooting stars!
The Geminid meteor shower will peak in one of the most reliable shows of the year. The shower runs annually from December 7-17. It peaks this year on the night of the 13th and the morning of the 14th.
December 15: Full Moon
December 21: December Solstice
It’s the shortest day of the year and the longest night of the year!
December 21, 22: Ursid Meteor Shower
The shower runs annually from December 17-25. It peaks this year on the the night of the 21st and morning of the 22nd.
December 30: New Moon
When you check out these awesome events, be sure to send us your photos and videos on SnapJAX! Check out the video below as we explain how to upload your photos.