The year 2024 has arrived, what good performances will be staged on the starry sky stage in the first month? Astronomical forecasts show that the Quadrantids meteor shower, Venus conjunction with the Moon, Mercury at the greatest western elongation, Saturn conjunction with the Moon, and Mercury with Mars are extremely close will be staged in turn.
First up is the Quadrantids, known as one of the three major meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere, which will reach its maximum on January 4.
"One of the characteristics of this meteor shower is the presence of very bright fire meteors. At that time, if the weather is fine, friends who like meteor showers can observe it in the second half of the night on the 3rd and 4th. Yang Jing, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and a director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, said.
On January 9th, the conjunction of Venus, known as the most beautiful "fairy tale of stars and moons", will be staged in the southeast sky before dawn.
This is Venus with the Moon taken in Beijing on March 24, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Tsinghua University Astronomical Association)
"At that time, Mercury, which will usher in the greatest western elongation, and Antares, a star known as the 'Great Fire', will also appear near the waning moon, and interested members of the public can observe them together. Yang Jing said.
On January 12, Mercury ushers in its greatest western elongation. "There will be a total of 7 major elongations for Mercury in 2024, and this time on the 12th will be the first. Mercury shines at a magnitude of 0.3 and has a horizon altitude of about 15 degrees, making it possible to observe it in good condition. At dawn some time before and after the elongation, interested members of the public can observe Mercury with the naked eye or with the help of binoculars, as low as they head east. Yang Jing said.
On January 14, Saturn, known as the "Lord of the Rings", will conjunct a moth eyebrow moon to stage an "intimate moment". After sunset, interested members of the public can look low in the southwest to look for both.
On January 20, the Pleiades conjunct the Moon. After nightfall, a first quarter moon will move into the Taurus celestial region, conjunct the famous Pleiades star cluster in Taurus, also known as the Seven Sisters. At that time, if the weather is fine, interested members of the public on the mainland are expected to witness the interesting scene of the "Moon Girl" and the "Seven Sisters" "gathering in the night sky" at close range.
On January 28, an astronomical phenomenon of Mercury and Mars in extreme proximity will play out at dawn in the southeastern sky. "This scene of 'Stars Attracting' is very demanding on weather conditions, and it lasts for a relatively short time, so it is difficult to observe, so the public who like to challenge may wish to try it. Yang Jing said.
丨Source: Xinhua News Agency