If you’re lucky enough to own a telescope, you’ll be able to put it to good use the rest of the year.
The universe has four more light shows planned for 2024.
Partial lunar eclipse
Although not as spectacular as a total solar eclipse, at least the Sept. 17 partial lunar eclipse won’t require special glasses to protect your eyes.
The eclipse will occur when a portion of the moon travels through the Earth’s shadow. This shadow is usually above or below the moon’s orbit, but because the moon orbits at a 5 degree angle, there are a couple of times a year when conditions are right for an eclipse.
“This one will be visible across almost all of the U.S. after the moon rises,” Smithsonian wrote. “It will peak at 10:44 p.m. Eastern Time and end at 11:17 p.m.”
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Also called A3, Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was discovered only a year ago by the Purple Mountain Observatory in China.
On Oct. 12, the comet will be “just” 44 million miles from Earth. Although some astronomers say A3 could be bright enough to see with the naked eye, others told Smithsonian magazine it’s difficult to make any predictions.
“Comets are like cats: They have tails; they do what they want,” Quanzhi Ye, a planetary astronomer at the University of Maryland, told Scientific American. “Almost for every case, it’s not going to end the way that you predicted … We won’t know until we get there.”
Orionid meteor shower
One meteor shower from Halley’s comet is apparently not enough, because we’ll get a second one the night of Oct. 20 and morning of the 21st.
Although the shower produces 10-20 meteors an hour, they will be competing with a waning gibbous moon and might be difficult to see.
Geminid meteor shower
The year in celestial events will wrap up as the Geminids peak Dec. 14. You should be able to spot about a 120 meteors an hour. The moon will be 96% illuminated on this date, however, and might make it hard to see the show.
The Geminids originate from the Gemini constellation and come from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon. According to NASA, Phaethon’s tail is made of sodium gas, and not of dust.
The best way to see these light shows, of course, is from a location with little light pollution. In Georgia, some great places include:
17515 Highway 177, Fargo, GA 31631; drive time from metro Atlanta: 4½ hours
This Okefenokee Swamp park was voted one of the best spots in the world for star gazing by the International Dark Sky Association for its vast skies and minimal light pollution.
3655 Georgia Highway197, Clarkesville, GA 30523; drive time from metro Atlanta: Less than two hours
The beautiful mountains in northeast Georgia make for ideal campgrounds during a meteor shower.
Cooper’s Creek Recreational Area
6050 Appalachian Hwy Suches, GA 30572; drive time from metro Atlanta: approximately two hours
Another great North Georgia location, Cooper’s Creek offers campgrounds on a first-come, first-served basis.
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