Shooting meteors and glowing planets: 6 space events to watch out for this winter

During the winter solstice, which occurs on December 21 this year, Earth will experience the shortest day of the year as our planet “turns away from the sun the most,” Fraknoi said. The sun rises at 7:21 a.m. and sets at 4:54 p.m., giving us only about 10 hours of daylight during the winter solstice – compared to 15 hours of light during the summer solstice.

See the Largest Planet Shine: Aftermath of Jupiter in Opposition

When? All December long

NASA’s Juno mission captured this view of Jupiter’s southern hemisphere during the spacecraft’s 39th close flyby of the planet on January 12, 2022. (NASA)

Every 13 months, the Earth is exactly between the Sun and the planet Jupiter, making the giant planet brighter and visible to the naked eye. While this alignment of Earth, Jupiter and Sun – the so-called Jupiter opposition – took place just a few days ago on December 7th, you still have a chance to see the planet as a brighter star for a few more weeks. Jupiter will be visible in the southeast throughout the night and will be highest in the sky shortly after midnight.

Watch a winter light show: The Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak

When? Dec 14

A view of the Geminid meteor shower and stargazing at Tunnel View of Yosemite National Park in California, USA, on December 14, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images))

If you missed the Perseid meteor shower earlier this summer, the Geminids could be another opportunity to see an impressive light show if the sky is clear.

The nearly full moon this night could wash out the fainter meteors, but if you plan to see it, check the weather and stay warm! The Geminids will peak in the early hours of Saturday, December 14th.

See the red planet in flames: Mars in opposition

When? January 16th

An illustration of the December 7 night sky, showing the cold full moon obscuring Mars. (Sky Safari Astronomy)

Another neighboring planet, fiery Mars, will be in opposition on January 16 as Earth passes between Mars and the Sun. During this event, which occurs approximately every two years, you can look east after sunset and see Mars as a bright, reddish-orange star. It will be highest in the sky around midnight.

Look for a (slightly) swollen Sun: Earth at perihelion

When? January 4th

The sun radiates large amounts of electromagnetic energy in all directions. The Earth is only a small recipient of solar energy; The sun’s rays reach far into the solar system and illuminate all other planets. (NASA)

On January 4, 2025, at approximately 5:30 a.m. PST, our planet will be at “perihelion” – closest to the sun. Because of its elliptical orbit, scientists can calculate when the Earth is closest and farthest from the Sun.

At perihelion, Earth receives 7% more solar energy than when the planet is furthest from the Sun. To many who are not on guard, the sun may look the same as any other day – but in fact it appears slightly larger than any other day of the year.

And finally, what you can’t see: The Parker Solar Probe will “touch the sun”

When? Dec 24

United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket launches NASA’s Parker Solar Probe to touch the sun from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Aug. 12, 2018, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Parker Solar Probe is humanity’s first mission into a part of the sun’s atmosphere called the corona. The probe will directly explore solar processes that are critical to understanding and predicting space weather events that can impact life on Earth. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

On a mission to explore the mysteries of our solar system’s largest star, NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe in 2018 to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere: its corona. Since 2018, the probe has completed seven gravity-assist maneuvers of Venus – also known as flybys – with the most recent and final of them taking place in November of this year.

On December 24, the unmanned composite spacecraft, capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 2,500°F, will make history by becoming the closest object ever to the Sun. The closer the probe gets to the sun’s orbit, the faster it becomes, earning the title of the fastest vehicle ever built, Fraknoi said.

“It will reach speeds of up to 430,000 miles per hour. Don’t try that on the 280 Freeway,” he said.

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