AMC’s See the Dark Festival at Medawisla Lodge in Maine.
The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 brought record numbers of skygazers to the northernmost parts of AMC’s region. Millions of people in the zone of totality took time to stop, see the day briefly turn to night, and appreciate our small place in the universe.
But that’s just the start. The night sky is always putting on a show.
“Celestial events” are those special nights when stars and planets align just right and present themselves. They can be appreciated as miracles of science—products of distance between planets and sun, or the friction in our atmosphere. Or you can simply look up and be in awe. And unlike a total solar eclipse, many of these events happen relatively regularly. You just need to know when and where to go stargazing.
Not all stargazing locations are the same. Light pollution limits visibility for about 80% of the world’s population. Luckily, AMC’s Maine Lodges are located in the AMC Maine Woods International Dark Sky Park, the first and only International Dark Sky Park in New England. DarkSky certification means an area has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep its night sky visible, and ensure it remains that way for generations to come.
Here are the celestial events we’ll be looking forward to for the rest of 2024. Find an open field near you or come see us in Maine for the ultimate stargazing experience.
June 20 – June Solstice
June Solstice, or “Summer Solstice,” is when the earth’s northern pole is at its closest to the sun. The result? The longest day on the calendar in the northern hemisphere.
June 22 – Full Moon
July 5 – New Moon
July 21 – Full Moon
July 22 – Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
A planet’s elongation is the angle between it and the sun, with the earth as the focal point. In other words, Mercury will be at its highest point in the night sky. It’s the ideal time to view the first planet in our solar system.
July 28, 29 – Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
August 4 – New Moon
The 2023 Perseids Meteor Shower. Jim Vajda/ Flickr Commons.
August 12, 13 – Perseids Meteor Shower
Grab your camp chair and some snacks. You won’t want to miss the “best meteor shower of the year.” At its peak, up to 100 meteors per hour will be visible, mostly early in the morning on August 13. Meteor showers are particles left over from passing comets. When these debris “trails” enter the earth’s atmosphere, they disintegrate. The flashes of light this produces are visible from earth.
August 19 – Full Moon
September 3 – New Moon
September 5 – Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation
September 8 – Saturn at Opposition
A planet is in “opposition” when it’s on the opposite side of the night sky from the sun, as viewed from the earth. This typically means more of a planet is visible, and for a longer part of the night. It’s a great time for casual viewers and night sky photographers alike.
September 18 – Full Moon, Supermoon/ Partial Lunar Eclipse
Two lunar events for the price of one! A supermoon, also called the “harvest” moon, is when a full moon is at its closest point to the earth during its orbit. On these nights, the moon will look larger than usual and may even have an extra glow.
That extra magnification will do a lot of good on this night. A partial lunar eclipse—an incomplete alignment of the earth, sun, and moon—will plunge part of the moon behind a shadow. The combined effect of the two is not to be missed.
A partial lunar eclipse. Sandor Somkuti/ Flickr Commons.
September 20 – Neptune at Opposition
September 22 – September Equinox
October 2 – New Moon
October 7 – Draconids Meteor Shower
October 17 – Full Moon, Supermoon
October 21, 22 – Orionids Meteor Shower
November 1 – New Moon
November 4, 5 – Taurids Meteor Shower
A view of the Milky Way from the AMC Highland Center New Hampshire. James Lowenthal, AMC Photo Contest.
November 15 – Full Moon, Supermoon
November 16 – Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
November 17 – Uranus at Opposition
November 17, 18 – Leonids Meteor Shower
December 1 – New Moon
December 7 – Jupiter at Opposition
December 13, 14 – Geminids Meteor Shower
Another meteor shower skygazers mark their calendars for year after year. As many as 120 meteors per hour may be visible, depending where you’re viewing.