Micromoons, supermoons and meteor showers will light up Malaysian skies in 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, February 16 – Stargazers, mark the date in your calendars!

A series of supermoons and two meteor showers will light up Malaysian skies later this year.

However, the year begins with the appearance of two micromoons, including a rare microblood moon.

These celestial events are among the major highlights noted by the National Planetarium in its astronomy calendar for 2024.

The first micromoon of the year is expected to occur on February 24th and coincide with Chap Goh Mei, Chinese Valentine's Day.

A micromoon occurs when the full moon is at its farthest point from Earth, while a supermoon occurs when the full moon is at its closest point to Earth.

The micromoon is about 14 percent smaller and 30 percent dimmer than a supermoon, while a supermoon is about 7 percent larger and 16 percent brighter than the average moon.

A micro blood moon will occur on March 25. During this event, the full moon will turn red as a penumbral eclipse occurs—when the moon moves through the outer part of the Earth's shadow.

Residents of Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur will experience a “day without shadow” on March 27 and 28, and again on September 14 during the equinoxes.

A Geminid meteor shower over the mountain range in Nagarkot, Nepal, in 2017. — Reuters pic

During the equinox, the sun is perfectly aligned with the Earth's equator and objects cast no shadows.

Additionally, the Perseid meteor shower will light up the night sky from July 17 to August 24.

The meteor shower, which originates from the constellation Perseus, occurs annually when the Earth crosses the orbit of the comet Swift-Tuttle.

In addition, four supermoons will light up the sky in a row on August 20, September 18, October 17 and November 16.

Of the four moons, the Super Blood Moon on September 18 will be a particularly remarkable spectacle, as the full moon will glow a coppery red color while a partial lunar eclipse occurs.

In the Farmers' Almanac, the full moon in September is also called the “Harvest Moon” because before the introduction of electricity, farmers relied on moonlight to harvest their summer-grown crops late into the night.

The Geminid meteor shower, commonly celebrated as the “King of Meteor Showers,” will occur from December 4 to 20 and will be the final celestial highlight of the year.

The annual meteor shower, which originates from the constellation Gemini, produces up to 120 colorful meteors per hour and reaches its peak on December 14.