Interstellar Odyssey: A Guide to the Solar System's Planets in 2024

(Image credit: Josh Dinner)

How can we best see the planets in 2024? Well, the following guide will tell you. The guide will also indicate when a particular planet will pass by another planet, as well as the situation of certain bright stars and the position of each star in the constellation during the year. This guide will help you learn more about galaxy connections, supernova explosions, galaxy expansion, etc., which are reflected in the sky observation schedule.

Mercury (Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington)

As a faint star, Mercury appears in the western sky about an hour after the sun sets. As a morning star, it appears in the eastern sky about an hour before the sun rises. You need a clear, unobstructed horizon to observe it. Mercury often appears as a bright "star" with a pale yellow or purple hue. This year, the planet can be seen on the mornings of January 5 to January 26, May 2 to May 23, August 30 to September 19, and December 18 to December 31. You can also see signs of Mercury activity in the evenings of the following dates: March 10 to March 31, July 8 to July 29, and November 2 to November 23.

Mercury will be very bright and easily visible in the night sky on the following dates: March 10 to March 31, June 5 to June 26, and December 18 to December 31.

Venus, a gas planet, is shown in this composite false-color image via UVI (March 30, 2018). (Image credit: Planet-C Project Team)

Venus is a bright, silvery planet that you can see in the eastern sky in the early morning hours between January 1 and April 8. The best time to see Venus in the morning hours in 2024 is between January 1 and February 11, and the best time to see Venus in the evening hours is from October 5 to November 31.

On February 22, Venus will be very close to Mars (0.2 degrees north of Mars). On March 21, Venus and Saturn will be very close (0.2 degrees north of Venus). On April 3, Venus and Neptune will be very close (0.3 degrees south of Neptune). On August 5, Venus and blue Regulus will be very close (1.1 degrees north of Regulus, a very bright star in the constellation Leo). On November 22, Venus will pass 1.1 degrees north of the second-magnitude star Nunki in Sagittarius.

Mars (Image credit: NASA)

Mars will be another "off" Venus, relatively dim and barely visible in the early morning sky for most of 2024. Mars will not be visible for the first ten days of 2024, as the dawn twilight is too bright to be seen. On New Year's Day, it will be in the constellation Sagittarius, 225.2 million miles (362.4 million kilometers) from Earth. On April Fools' Day, April 1, it will be in the constellation Aquarius, appearing low in the southeast a few hours before sunrise, twinkling at magnitude +1.2. On July 1, it will appear in the eastern sky after midnight, slightly brighter to magnitude +1.0.

Mars will be visible in the northeastern sky late on Halloween night, with the "double stars" of Gemini, Custer, and Burreux pointing directly toward the yellow-orange planet at magnitude +0.1. From then on, Mars will brighten as it approaches Earth. On December 6, it will be stationary against the starry sky and reverse course as a prelude to its first opposition since 2022, on January 16, 2025. During the New Year, Mars, now in Cancer, will be 61.3 million miles (98.6 million kilometers) from Earth and shine at magnitude -1.2 from Earth, a "faint Lupus" compared to the bright stars in the night sky, but it will be its brightest in 2024.

On January 21, Mars will pass 2.7 degrees north of the second-magnitude star Nunki in Sagittarius, and on February 22, Mars will pass very close to Venus (0.6 degrees south of Venus). On April 10, Mars will pass very close to Saturn (0.4 degrees north of Saturn). On April 10, Mars will pass very close to Saturn (0.4 degrees north of Saturn). On April 29, Mars will pass very close to Neptune (0.1 degrees south of Neptune). The red planet will pass by the equally bright orange Aldebaran (4.9 degrees north of Aldebaran) and will slide past Jupiter 0.3 degrees north of it on August 4. Finally, on the morning of December 18, a waning gibbous Moon will slide across Mars, causing mysterious effects on Earth's tides or eclipsing the planet in northern North America.

Jupiter (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRl/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill)

In 2024, Jupiter will appear bright and silvery-white, in Aries on New Year's Day, then enter Taurus on April 28, where it will remain for the year. It will shine brightly on the mornings of June 8 to December 6 and on the evenings of January 1 to April 26. The best time to see it is from December 7 to 31. Jupiter will shine brightest in 2024 from November 14 to December 28. Jupiter will be in opposition to the Sun on December 7. It will pass 4.8 degrees north of the first-magnitude star Aldebaran on July 9. It will pass 0.3 degrees south of fainter Mars on August 14.

Observations from Cassini were combined to create this image of Saturn's rings (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSl/Cornell)

Saturn is a medium-bright yellow-white "star", but the prominent rings are only visible in a telescope. The rings were at their greatest inclination to Earth in October 2017 and are now rapidly approaching our line of sight, beginning in 2024 and turning toward Earth in the spring of 2025. The planet will be in the constellation Aquarius this year. Saturn can be seen on the nights of January 1 to February 11, and on the nights of March 17 to September 7. Brightest from August 25 to October 1. Opposition with the Sun is September 8. Saturn and Venus will be very close on the morning of March 21 (0.2 degrees south of Saturn). - It will be 0.4 degrees south of Mars on April 10.

This image of Uranus taken by the near-infrared camera aboard the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope provides a clear view of the planet and its bright yellow color. The Webb telescope image beautifully captures Uranus' seasonal north polar caps, including the bright white inner cap and the dark lower cap at the base. Uranus' faint inner and outer rings are clearly visible in this image, as are the elusive Zeta Ring - the faint, diffuse ring closest to Uranus. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, CSA)

People with good eyesight can clearly see Uranus in a dark sky and determine its position. At its brightest, the star shines at magnitude +5.6 and can be easily identified with binoculars, where a tiny, green disk can be observed. Uranus is in Aries in 2024 and is brightest from October 15 to December 31. Uranus can be seen on the mornings from May 31 to November 16, in the evenings from January 1 to April 27, and in the evenings from November 17 to December 31. Uranus will be in opposition to the Sun on November 16.

Neptune will be in Pisces in 2024. This blue star will shine at a peak magnitude of +7.8 and can only be observed with binoculars of higher magnification. It will be brightest from July 23 to November 19. Neptune can be seen in the mornings from April 3 to September 19, in the evenings from January 1 to March 1, and in the evenings from September 20 to December 31. Opposition will be on September 20. Venus will pass 0.3 degrees south of Neptune on April 3, and Mars will pass 0.1 degrees south of Neptune on April 29, which are two excellent times to identify Neptune. Because Mars is 500 times brighter than Neptune and Venus is 58,000 times brighter than Neptune, this observation opportunity is rare.

BY: Joe Rao

FY: Ho Tan Wai (Huang)

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