If you’d like to wish on a star to have more adventures in 2024 but find yourself trapped underneath starless skies, we have the perfect solution. Round up your travel posse, get a Cruise America RV rental, and embark on an astronomy adventure. 

Before You Head Out

To get the most out of your star-tastic experience, we recommend first doing the following:

• Rent an RV in advance — meteor showers and eclipses are popular times for RV rentals 

• Download a free stargazing app on your phone

• Plan on heading to a national park or Dark Sky location for the best views

• Scope out this list of the best places to camp under the stars

• Check out our guide to 2024 astronomy events below to pick the best time of year to venture out

A Few Words To Know

Before taking a gander at our stargazing calendar 2024, here are a few terms that will come in handy:

• Meteor Shower: A celestial event in which several meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the night sky. The full calendar below has some epic meteor shower events to look forward to!

• Full Moon: Not ideal for stargazing since the sky doesn’t get that dark. But it’s perfect for creating special memories such as first camping trips or watching the moon rise. 

• Supermoon: Occurs when a full moon is at its closest distance to the Earth, making it look brighter and larger than usual.

• New Moon: Occurs when the Sun and Moon are aligned, making the moon invisible from Earth and creating a ‘moonless night’—perfect for stargazing!

• Planet Sighting: These events allow you to see other planets. How cool is that!

• Total Solar Eclipse: Occurs when the New Moon comes between the sun and Earth and casts the darkest part of its shadow, the umbra, on Earth.

• Summer Solstice: Occurs when the sun reaches its highest position in the sky, creating the longest period of daylight.

• Winter Solstice: Occurs when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the sun, creating the shortest day of daylight in the Northern hemisphere. 

2024 Astronomy Calendar

January

3-4 Quadrantids Meteor Show 

11 New Moon

12 Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation

25 Full Moon

27 Mars, Venus, and Mercury Alignment

February

9 New Moon

24 Full Moon

March

10 New Moon

20 March Equinox

24 Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation

25 Full Moon and Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

 

April (Global Astronomy Month!)

8 New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse

22-23 Lyrids Meteor Shower

23 Full Moon

May

6-7 Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower

8 New Moon

9 Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation

23 Full Moon

16 Full Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse 

30 New Moon

June

6 New Moon

20 June Solstice

22 Full Moon

July

5 New Moon

21 Full Moon

22 Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation

28-29 Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower

August

4 New Moon

12-13 Perseid Meteor Shower

19 Full Moon and Blue Moon

September

3 New Moon

5 Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation

8 Saturn at Opposition

18 Full Moon, Supermoon, and Partial Lunar Eclipse

20 Neptune at Opposition

22 September Equinox

October

2 New Moon and Annular Solar Eclipse

17 Draconids Meteor Shower, Full Moon, and Supermoon

21-22 Orionids Meteor Shower

November

1 New Moon

4-5 Taurids Meteor Shower

15 Full Moon and Supermoon 

16 Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation

17 Uranus at Opposition

17-18 Leonids Meteor Shower

December

1 New Moon

7 Jupiter at Opposition 

13-14 Geminids Meteor Shower

15 Full Moon

21 December Solstice

21-22 Ursids Meteor Shower 

25 Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation

30 New Moon

To the Stars We Go

Ready for your astronomy road trip? Get your Cruise America RV reserved and ready to go today!