December has come to a close, and a new year has begun! Even though 2023 is now over, our night sky will only continue to provide us with the same exciting new opportunities to experience astronomical history firsthand. From the maiden flights of spacecraft to the January Wolf Moon, here are some of January’s most anticipated astronomical phenomena and launches.
The Quadrantids meteor shower will be peaking on January 3. Widely considered one of the best annual showers, the Quadrantids are active between December 26, 2023 and January 16, 2024. They produce an estimated hourly rate of 120 meteors, and have a much shorter peak than many other meteor showers, which usually produce their peak amount over two or three days. Due to the thin stream of meteors, the peak of the Quadrantids shower only lasts for a few hours. They are known for their brightness, long streaks, and fireball colour. The Quadrantids meteor shower is primarily a northern shower and will not be very visible from the Southern Hemisphere.
The full moon of January, also known as the Wolf Moon, will arrive on January 25. The Wolf Moon was most likely named after the wolves howling during the winter season. It is also commonly referred to as the Center Moon, the Cold Moon, the Severe Moon, the Frost Exploding Moon, and the Freeze Up Moon. It will rise at 11:54 AM (Eastern Time).
The Peregrine lunar lander has a planned launch date of January 8, 2024. The objective of this lander is to successfully deliver payloads to the lunar surface or to lunar orbit. This lander will be launched by United Lander Alliance, with the launch vehicle being a Vulcan Centaur. The Peregrine lunar lander will be carrying many payloads as it completes its mission duration of one day on the lunar surface. It will be launching from the Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida with a launch window between 2:18 AM and 3:03 AM (Eastern Time).
(An artist impression of the Peregrine lunar lander on the surface of the Moon. Image Credit: Astrobotic)
The Axiom Space Mission 3 will be launching soon after, on January 17, 2024. Originally having targeted a launch date on January 9, the mission was pushed back due to weather concerns. It will be launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a crew of four. This crew includes Ax-3 pilot Walter Villadei, Italian military officer and trained cosmonaut who participated in the Galactic 01 spaceflight mission in June 2023; Ax-3 commander Michael López-Alegría, a test pilot and astronaut with over 270 days logged in space and 67 hours of extravehicular activity, Ax-3 mission specialist Marcus Wandt, a Swedish test pilot who will be the first 2022 European Space Agency astronaut to undergo a mission, and other Ax-3 mission specialist Alper Gezeravcı, a military pilot who will become the first Turkish citizen in space because of the fourteen-day long Axiom 3 mission to the International Space Station. A Crew Dragon spacecraft will be responsible for launching the crew on this mission, which will be the first commercial spaceflight mission for an ESA-Sponsored astronaut.
(The Axiom Space Mission 3 crew. From left to right: mission specialist Marcus Wandt, pilot Walter Villadei, commander Michael López-Alegríap, and mission specialist Alper Gezeravcı. Image Credit: SpaceX)
Whether you choose to witness the Quadrantids meteor shower on January 3 or the rising of the Wolf Moon on January 25, the first month of 2024 will provide all astronomy lovers with opportunities to learn more about meteor showers and rocket launches.