3 astronomical events starting the new decade 2020

Meteor shower, Wolf Moon and New Moon are 3 astronomical phenomena that will appear in January 2020.

January 3: Quadrantids meteor shower

The first meteor shower of the new decade will appear on January 3, 2020.

The first astronomical event in 2020 is the Quadrantids meteor shower, which takes place on the evening of January 3. It is predicted that there will be about 40 meteors per hour at maximum. As long as the sky is clear and cloudless, you can easily observe this phenomenon.

The best chance to see the meteor shower is right after midnight in a place with less light like the countryside.

January 10: Wolf moon

This happens when the Moon is opposite to and close to Earth like the Sun.

A week after the Quadrantids meteor shower, January 10, Wolf Moon will take place in the sky. This happens when the Moon is opposite to and close to Earth like the Sun. Therefore, when this happens, the Moon will be very beautiful with bright moonlight.

The name Moon Wolf comes from the people in the tribes often hear the long howl of the wolves every night near the full moon of January. Previously, the wolf moon also has another name is the old moon (Old Moon) but not popular.

In the early Native American tribes, this particular full moon was called the Wolf Moon because this was the time of year when hungry wolves howled outside their camp.

January 24: New moon

New moon appears on January 24. This phenomenon occurs when the Moon lies between the Earth and the Sun. Meanwhile, from the Earth can not see the bright side of the Moon. This is when the Moon coincides with the Sun.

At this time, other faint objects, such as galaxies and star clusters, will be especially bright because they will not be overshadowed by the light of the Moon.