2024 or binary 11111101000, a leap year and starts on a Monday as did 1996, 1968 and 1940; the first Leap Year (in modern times) was in 1752 when the Gregorian calendar created, and we lost 11 days to sync everything due to the creep that had set in.
The reason for a leap year? The number of Earth’s revolutions isn’t the same as the time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun; the Solar year is 365.2422 days long, try making a watch or calendar suit that? By having leap years every four years we ensure that the months consistently match up with the seasons and corresponding religious festivals, which to some extent is what all the fuss is about…..with Climate Change (short term) and as I add, a changing climate (long term), the seasons are already changing?
While I abhor new year resolutions, I make an exception and suggest get into astronomy either yourself, or encourage your children or grandchildren, the field or associated fields of Space or Rocketry are the future jobs and astronomy is the seed.
On New Year’s Eve, by 8.30pm Saturn should sit 25 deg. above due West and set in the West to WSW by 10.30pm; it’s not the most riveting object, but it doesn’t twinkle like the stars, showing that its closer than the stars. If you are visiting an Observatory (Gingin) or attending a stargazing night (Stargazers), it’s a must for the host to show you how Saturn looks…..it kind of sticks in your mind for when you use your binoculars, you just know those rings are there, unlike Galileo.
Now, search for the highly visible orb of Jupiter just after sunset, it should be 45 deg. above due north. Then revisit it around 10.30pm sitting just over 30 deg. above the NW when Io, Ganymede, Calisto and Europa can be best viewed with binoculars.
On Saturday Io will sit on one side, the rest on the other side. On Sunday, if you’ve not had too much bubbly, two moons on one side, two moons on the other, one of these is Io, how did it get there so quickly? it takes less than 2 days for it to orbit the planet. If you carry on observing you may see Io disappear in front (which it does on Tuesday) and behind Jupiter another time.
In the 1970s, the Perth Observatory recorded “Jovian” events called occultations, shadow and satellite transits as well as eclipses, why not recapture this as a pastime, it is quite addictive; many resources online will provide the times for you, just make sure it’s for your latitude and longitude.
While Mars is about to reappear soon in the East, until then, catch the brilliant 96% Carbon Dioxide planet Venus rising by 3am in the ESE.
Gravity Discovery Centre and Observatory
Stargazers Club WA
Dr Craig Bowers MP8138.
Astronomy West 
Leave a comment