astronomically speaking 2023 was a remarkable year the hybrid solar eclipse in April the ring of fire eclipse in October and the peak of the Geminids and pids on moonless nights were among the most memorable celestial events however 2024 promises to be even more exceptional this year we will witness four eclipses encounter two bright naked eye comets and observe several planetary conjunct that you won't want to miss let's take a closer look at the five most incredible astronomical events set to occur in 2024 and make sure to subscribe to our channel so you don't miss them in 2024 there will be four eclipses with the total solar eclipse on April 8th being perhaps the most anticipated of the year the path of totality where the moon completely covers the sun will Traverse North America starting from Mexico and moving through the United States to Canada this is the only eclipse of the century where the path of totality crosses the US Mexico and Canada in the US totality will begin in Texas at 1:27 p. m. CDT and end in Maine at 3:35 p.
m. EDT on April 8th it will be the longest total solar eclipse visible from the Us in the century the maximum duration of totality will be about 4 minutes and 28 seconds the record for the longest total solar eclipse in history goes back to June 15th 7:43 BC with the duration of 7 minutes and 28 seconds off the coast of Kenya and Somalia the 2024's eclipse duration is about twice that of the 2017 Great American Eclipse which over 20 million people viewed during the total phase of the eclipse the sky will darken and the corona the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere will become visible observers may also witness belly's beads and the diamond ring effect just before and after totality however it is crucial to use proper solar viewing glasses for the eclipse although totality will be visible from parts of 15 American states a partial eclipse will be visible across all 48 contiguous US states with the next opportunity not arising until 2044 on April 8th an estimated 32 million people will be exposed to the path of totality there's also a chance of viewing Comet 12p Pon Brooks or the devil Comet during totality preceding the total solar eclipse a penumbral lunar eclipse will occur on March 25th a penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the moon only grazes the Earth's outer Shadow called a penumbra this results in subtle dimming of the moon's brightness but not nearly as dramatic as a total or partial eclipse the eclipse will be visible from much of the Americas Antarctica Alaska and Northeastern Russia the third eclipse of the year will be a partial lunar eclipse on September 18th visible from parts of the Americas Africa Europe Antarctica Southwestern Russia and Western Asia this lunar eclipse is particularly exciting as it will OCC occur on the night of the year's first Super Moon finally the last eclipse of the year will be an annular solar eclipse on October 2nd visible from parts of Antarctica and South America an annular eclipse occurs when the moon doesn't completely cover the solar disc but leaves a small Ring of Fire around it so 2024 offers an excellent opportunity to witness different types of eclipses from different parts of the [Music] world a comet twice the size of Mount Everest is approaching Earth and will become visible in the spring of 2024 its official name Comet 12p Pon Brooks is much less intimidating than its nickname the devil Comet discovered in 1812 this comic completes an orbit around the sun approximately every 71. 2 years the comet earned the devil Comet moniker due to a significant event in Late July 2023 during this period it experienced an outburst releasing substantial gas and dust leading to a dramatic increase in brightness by a factor of about 100 almost overnight this was the first Outburst in 69 years and as of November last year the comet had erupted four times the Outburst resulted in the comet's comma taking on a unique shape resembling a horseshoe or having horns with a dark core and visibly bright wings or tips this distinctive appearance led to its portrayal in the media as the devil Comet by the end of March you can see the devil comet in the west soon after Sunset the comet will be near the Sun during the April 8th total solar eclipse providing observers in North America with the opportunity to see it when the moon completely covers the solar disc it will next make a close approach to the sun on April 24th but reach its peak bright brightness on April 21st the comet will then make its closest approach to Earth on 2nd June when it will be about 1.
5 times the Earth Sun distance since 12p Hond Brooks is an icy volcanic Comet with a heart of ice gas and dust within an icy outer shell its brightness is difficult to predict much depends on its eruptions as it races towards the Sun at a speed 30 times faster than the fastest F-16 aircraft even if it doesn't put on a great show there's another Comet racing towards us with a high probability of outshining even the brightest stars in the October night sky offering a once-in-a-lifetime viewing [Music] opportunity we are long overdue for a beautiful Comet with a wispy tail stretching across our evening sky as it turns out 2024 could end that spell a dazling comet is approaching the Earth with the potential to outshine even the brightest stars in the night sky it's called c2023 A3 suchin Shan Atlas Comet A3 was discovered when it was roughly 1. 1 billion km from Earth if the comet behaves as expected it should become visible through small telescopes in the early summer of this year by late September it may even be visible to the naked eye or through binoculars as a a pre-dawn object low in the East Before Sunrise whether or not it will have a tail at this point is still uncertain as it depends on the age and activity level of the comet in early October 2024 Comet A3 will pass very close to the Sun from our perspective of Earth and as a result it will disappear from sight assuming the comet survives its close encounter with the sun it should reappear in the northern hemisphere Sky after October 11th or 12th 2024 at this point it will become visible after Sunset and gradually move higher in the sky each evening making it easier to observe if we are lucky Comet A3 may become as bright as first or even zero magnitude out shining most stars in the night sky nevertheless predicting the behavior of comets is notoriously challenging and it's impossible to say for sure what what will happen so all we can do is patiently await the approach of this Celestial visitor and observe its progress as it draws nearer to our planet 2024 will be an excellent time to witness close apparent Encounters of planets in the sky the first will be the Venus Mars conjunction on February 22nd and 23rd the two planets will pass within half a degree of each other in the south Eastern pre-dawn sky in the constellation capricornus observing that conjunction might be a little challenging as the planets will be close to the Horizon Venus will be the brighter of the two shining at a magnitude of -3. 9 while Mars will be fairly bright at 1.
3 a month later on March 22nd Venus will have a new companion in its conjunction Saturn will pass within 1/3 of a degree of Venus in the Southeastern pedon sky in the constellation Aquarius they'll be close enough to fit within the field of view of a telescope and will also be visible to the naked eye or through binoculars a couple of weeks later on April 6th the moon will join the party forming a triple conjunction with Mars and Saturn the third observable conjunction will occur on April 11th when Mars and Saturn will pass within half a degree of each other in the constellation Aquarius the two will have almost the same brightness and become visible in the Southeastern pre-dawn sky on April 11th finally the most spectacular planetary conjunction will be on August 14th as Mars and Jupiter pass within 0.
