Get your telescopes and binoculars ready — 2024 is set to be another exciting year for celestial events! From meteor showers and supermoons, to fascinating planetary oppositions and a solar eclipse, there’s a lot to look forward to in the night sky in 2024, and no better place to take it all in than from Twentynine Palms, California. Before we get into all the exciting upcoming celestial events to add to your calendar, here are three reasons why Twentynine Palms is the perfect year-round stargazing destination in Southern California:
1. Stay minutes from Joshua Tree National Park, an official International Dark Sky Park.
As a proud recipient of the International Dark Sky Association’s prestigious Dark Sky Park designation in 2017, Joshua Tree National Park boasts some of the darkest skies in Southern California and regardless of which hotel, RV resort, or vacation rental you book in Twentynine Palms, you’ll be staying just minutes from the park’s North Entrance and spectacular, year-round night sky viewing. With nearly 800,000 acres to roam, minimal light pollution, advantageous elevation gains, and clean, crisp air, the stars pop in the night sky — making this iconic national park a hotspot for stargazing and astronomy enthusiasts.
2. Take in the night from Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center, recently ranked by AAA as one of the Best Stargazing Locations in the West.
There’s no better place in Twentynine Palms to spend the evening under the stars than Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center! Ranked by AAA as one of the Best Destinations in the West for stargazing and astronomy, and sharing a border with Joshua Tree National Park, this 15-acre campus features an observatory dome that houses a 14-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, an Orrery representing a true-to-scale and position model of the solar system at 20 billion to one, a solar calendar/sundial that marks the hours as well as the solstices and equinoxes, plus a meditation garden based on Zen design principles. To learn more and start planning your visit, check out skysthelimit29.org.
3. Discover the night sky the way it was meant to be seen during a private stargazing experience with the 29 Palms Astronomy Club.
Whatever time of year you plan your visit to Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park, the 29 Palms Astronomy Club is ready to bring the epic grandeur of the night sky to you from the comfort and privacy of your campsite, hotel, vacation rental, or place of residence. The 29 Palms Astronomy Club offers private night sky presentations, led by passionate and expert astronomers who provide fun and interactive cosmic tours of the stunning night sky using high-powered telescopes. To learn more, visit 29palmsastronomy.org.
Celestial Highlights of 2024
January 2024
January 3-4: Quadrantid Meteor Shower Peak
January 11: New Moon
January 25: Full Moon (Wolf Moon)
February 2024
February 9: New Moon
February 24: Full Moon (Snow Moon)
March 2024
March 7: Full Moon (Worm Moon)
March 20: Spring Equinox
March 25: New Moon
March 25: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
April 2024
April 8: Total Lunar Eclipse
April 8: New Moon
April 22-23: Lyrid Meteor Shower Peak
April 23: Full Moon (Pink Moon)
May 2024
May 6-7: Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peak
May 8: New Moon
May 23: Full Moon (Flower Moon)
June 2024
June 6: New Moon
June 21: Summer Solstice
June 22: Full Moon (Strawberry Moon)
July 2024
July 6: New Moon
July 22: Full Moon
July 28-29: Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peak
August 2024
August 4: New Moon
August 12-13: Perseid Meteor Shower Peak
August 19: Full Moon (Supermoon/Blue Moon)
September 2024
September 3: New Moon
September 18: Partial Lunar Eclipse
September 18: Full Moon (Supermoon/Harvest Moon)
September 22: Autumn Equinox
October 2024
October 2: New Moon
October 2: Solar Eclipse
October 7: Draconid Meteor Shower Peak
October 17: Full Moon/Supermoon
October 21-22: Orionid Meteor Shower Peak
November 2024
November 1: New Moon
November 4-5: Taurid Meteor Shower
November 15: Full Moon (Beaver Moon)
November 17-18: Leonid Meteor Shower Peak
December 2024
December 1: New Moon
December 13-14: Geminid Meteor Shower Peak
December 15: Full Moon
December 21: Winter Solstice
December 21-22: Ursid Meteor Shower Peak
December 30: New Moon