The last winter season, which coincides with the beginning of the new year, lasts approximately 88 days and 23 hours and concludes on March 20, 2024, marking the beginning of spring. According to the observatory's results, the winter solstice marks the day in which the hours of daylight are minimum. Precisely for this reason the winter season offers the optimal opportunity to delight in the celestial phenomena of the northern hemisphere. One of the most striking phenomena is that the Moon and Jupiter will dance together this winter.
In this article we are going to tell you how to see when the Moon and Jupiter will dance together this winter and other striking astronomical phenomena in 2024.
Observation of a celestial body
As the season begins, Saturn and Jupiter will grace the night sky, visible to the naked eye after dark. However, as February progresses, Saturn will gradually disappear from view. March will bring a brief appearance of Mercury, leaving only Jupiter and Mercury as the two planets visible at dusk to conclude the season. Instead, the dawn sky will welcome winter with the solitary presence of Venus.
In late December, Mars will make a modest appearance on the eastern horizon, while Mercury will briefly join it throughout January. As the season draws to a close, Venus will fade in the radiant glow of dawn, leaving Mars as the only planet visible. The most opportune times to observe these celestial wonders will be January 11, February 10 and March 10, coinciding with the appearance of new winter moons, as long as the skies are clear.
The stars shine brightly in the night sky
During winter nights, the night sky reveals a stunning display of constellations adorned with the brightest stars. Among them stands out Orion, who features the radiant and ever-changing Betelgeuse. Taurus adorns the scene with the reddish glow of Aldebaran, while Canis Major proudly presents Sirius, the brightest star of the night.
We must not forget that Gemini shows the celestial duo of Castor and Pollux. These stars, when combined with their neighboring counterparts, form a captivating asterism known as the "winter hexagon," a distinctive feature of the season's dark skies. For optimal stargazing, mark your calendar for new moon nights (January 11, February 9, and March 10), as they promise the most dazzling showcase of these celestial wonders.
Ursids and the Quadrantids
During the winter season, two meteor showers normally occur: the Ursids and the Quadrantids. The Ursid meteor shower is visible in the northern hemisphere from December 17 to December 26, and is expected to peak around December 22. This meteor shower has a moderate activity rate, producing about 10 to 50 meteors per hour, traveling at a speed of approximately 33 kilometers per second. However, due to their location between two other meteor showers with higher activity rates, namely the Geminids and the Quadrantids, the Ursids often go unnoticed. The Geminids peak one week before the Ursids, while the Quadrantids peak two weeks later.
The Ursid meteors They are actually fragments of comet 8P/Tuttle, which was discovered in 1858. Every year during this time, the Earth passes through a ring populated by these fragments that broke off from comet 8P/Tuttle during its previous passes near the sun. When a fragment or meteoroid from outer space enters the Earth's atmosphere, it undergoes vaporization due to the friction it encounters with the air. This process gives rise to the dazzling phenomenon we commonly refer to as a meteor or shooting star.
The radiant point or origin of this meteor shower is located near the star Kocab in the constellation Ursa Minor. As the first meteor shower of the year in the northern hemisphere, The quadrantid shower is visible from December 28 to January 12, with peak activity occurring around January 3. During this period, Earth passes through a region of its orbit where debris from the asteroid 2003 EH is present. As these particles of ice, dust and rock interact with Earth's atmosphere, they produce bright flashes in the sky known as quadrantids. This meteor shower is famous for its remarkable display, with an impressive frequency of 80 to 100 meteors per hour.
The Moon and Jupiter will dance together this winter
On January 18, the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, will be the main attraction in the night sky, accompanied by a radiant crescent moon. This celestial spectacle will occur two more times during the winter season: on February 14 and March 13, 2024. And once again, but this time in spring, on April 10. Known as the 'kiss' of the Moon and Jupiter, This fascinating dance is actually an alignment in which Jupiter and the Moon appear to be very close and positioned in an almost straight line in the sky.
This remarkable phenomenon occurs due to the different speeds and orbits of the planets as they orbit the Sun. It is worth noting that, apart from the sun, Jupiter has the distinction of being the largest celestial body in our solar system. With a mass that exceeds the combined mass of all other planets by almost two and a half times (and a mass 318 times that of Earth), Jupiter reigns as the dominant force among the outer planets. A prominent feature in the night sky, this gas giant stands as one of the most luminous celestial bodies, surpassed only by the Moon, Venus and, occasionally, Mars.
The appearance of full moons and greater proximity to the sun
On December 27, the 'cold moon' illuminated the winter sky as the first full moon of the season and the last of the year. Its maximum brightness occurred at approximately 6:00 p.m. in Spanish peninsular time. Additionally, on January 3, 2024, the Earth and the Sun reached their maximum annual proximity, known as perihelion. At this moment, our distance from the sun will be just over 147 million kilometers, approximately 5 million kilometers closer than during the farthest point (aphelion) on July 5, 2024.
After these celestial events, the 'Wolf Moon' will grace the night and sky as the first full moon of the year on January 25, and the third and last full moon of winter will shine on February 24. The name 'Wolf Moon' originates from tribes in the United States who believed that the sight of this moon caused wolves to howl, as these creatures share a strong connection with the lunar presence. The reason behind the wolves' louder howling during this period could be attributed to their communication patterns. However, a more pragmatic explanation suggests that the animals howl out of desperation caused by food shortages in cold weather. This phenomenon is commonly known as an "ice moon."
I hope that with this information you can learn more about when the moon and Jupiter will dance together this winter.