In the first month of the new year, what wonderful shows will be performed on the starry sky stage?

2024 is here. What wonderful shows will be staged on the starry sky stage in the first month? Astronomical forecasts show that "celestial dramas" such as the Quadrantid meteor shower, Venus conjunction with the moon, Mercury's greatest western elongation, Saturn conjunction with the moon, and Mercury and Mars' close proximity will be staged one after another.

The first to appear is the Quadrantid meteor shower, which is known as one of the three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere. It will reach its peak on January 4.

"A major feature of this meteor shower is that there will be very bright fireballs. 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 director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, said.

On January 9, the Venus-Moon conjunction, known as the most beautiful "fairy tale of stars and the moon", will be staged in the southeast sky before dawn. At that time, the bright "Morning Star" will be closely accompanied by a thin crescent moon, which is pleasing to the eye and very beautiful.

"By then, Mercury, which is about to reach its greatest western elongation, and the star Antares, known as the 'big fire', will also appear near the waning moon. The public who are interested can observe them together," said Yang Jing.

On January 12, Mercury will reach its greatest western elongation. "There will be seven Mercury elongations in 2024, and the one on January 12 is the first. Mercury's brightness is 0.3, and its altitude is about 15 degrees above the horizon, so the observation conditions are good. At dawn some time before and after the greatest elongation, interested members of the public can look toward the east and low in the sky to observe Mercury with their naked eyes or with the help of binoculars," said Yang Jing.

On January 14, Saturn, also known as the "Lord of the Rings", will be in conjunction with a crescent moon, presenting an "intimate moment". After sunset on that day, interested members of the public can look towards the southwest sky to find the two.

On January 20, the Pleiades will be in conjunction with the moon. After nightfall, a waxing moon will move to the Taurus constellation and conjunct the famous Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters) in Taurus. If the weather is fine, the Chinese public who are interested may witness the interesting scene of the "Moon Girl" and the "Seven Sisters" "gathering in the night sky" up close.

On January 28, a close approach of Mercury and Mars will take place in the southeast sky at dawn. "This 'star attraction' requires very high weather conditions and lasts for a relatively short time, so it is difficult to observe. People who like challenges may wish to give it a try," said Yang Jing.

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Source: Xinhua News Agency

Editor: Wang Mengru