Exciting Celestial Events in 2024: Total Solar Eclipse, Meteor Shower and Aurora Borealis Sightings
Montana residents can see the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) in 2024 due to an increase in sun activity
Quadrantids meteor shower from now until Friday with peak observation from 1 am to 5 am and around 25 shooting stars per hour
Total solar eclipse on April 8th
In 2024, there are several exciting celestial events that will take place. One of the most anticipated is a total solar eclipse on April 8th. This rare event occurs when the moon passes in between Earth and the sun, completely blocking off all sunlight for about four minutes from northern Mexico to New England. The next total solar eclipse won't occur until 2044! Another exciting event is the Quadrantids meteor shower which will be visible from now until Friday, with peak observation from 1 am to 5 am and around 25 shooting stars per hour. Additionally, Montana residents can see the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) in 2024 due to an increase in sun activity. The largest observatory is located at Montana Learning Center near Canyon Ferry Lake east of Helena, with a 25-inch telescope for viewing nebulae and galaxies.
Montana is under a good view for this year's total solar eclipse on April. The next one won't be until 2044.
The Quadrantids meteor shower will be visible from now until Friday the 5th, with peak observation from 1 am to 5 am and around 25 shooting stars per hour.
Another meteor shower is the Perseids which will occur on August. It's caused by earth passing through debris left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle, making it the best shooting star display of the year with over 100 meteors visible per hour.
Montana residents can see the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) in 2024 due to an increase in sun activity. The largest observatory is located at Montana Learning Center near Canyon Ferry Lake east of Helena, with a 25-inch telescope for viewing nebulae and galaxies.
The April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse will be better than the one on August. It will have over four minutes of totality and get much darker during that time.
Accuracy
A solar eclipse will occur in April 2024, when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, completely blocking off part of its face.
Montana is under a good 40% to 60% view for this year's total solar eclipse on April. The next one won't be until 2044.
Another meteor shower is the Perseids which will occur on August 12th through August. It's caused by earth passing through debris left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle, making it the best shooting star display of the year with over 100 meteors visible per hour.
The moon will pass directly in front of the bright red star Antares, an event called an occultation, on January 8 for early risers in the extreme western U.S., shortly before dawn. The exact timing will depend on your location.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains several examples of deceptive practices. Firstly, the author claims that Montana will get a good view of the solar eclipse in April when it is only expected to see about 40% to 60% totality. This statement misrepresents what viewers can expect from the event and creates false expectations for readers who may not have access to accurate information. Secondly, the article states that Montana will be completely in the path of a total solar eclipse in 2044 when it is actually only expected to see about 75% totality. This statement misrepresents what viewers can expect from future events and creates false expectations for readers who may not have access to accurate information. Thirdly, the article states that Montana will be one of the best years for residents to see the aurora borealis when it is actually only expected to see a moderate display due to increased solar activity. This statement misrepresents what viewers can expect from future events and creates false expectations for readers who may not have access to accurate information.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the long-awaited eclipse and the Perseids meteor shower as 'the best shooting star display of the year'. Additionally, there are appeals to authority in statements such as 'A solar eclipse is when the moon passes in between the Earth and the sun, completely blocking off its face.' The author also uses an example of a dichotomous depiction by stating that Montana will get a good 40% to 60% view of the upcoming total solar eclipse. However, there are no examples of formal fallacies in this article.
The long-awaited eclipse is described as 'the best shooting star display of the year'
An appeal to authority: 'A solar eclipse is when the moon passes in between the Earth and the sun, completely blocking off its face.'
Montana will get a good 40% to 60% view of the upcoming total solar eclipse.
The Perseids meteor shower is described as 'the best shooting star display of the year'.
Bias
(70%)
The article contains several examples of bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes white supremacists and extremist far-right ideologies by referring to them as 'dog whistling' and celebrating their reference to a racist conspiracy theory. Additionally, the author uses loaded language such as 'extreme' or 'unreasonable', which is not objective reporting.
GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has been dog-whistling to supporters of extremist far-right ideologies and wild conspiracy theories like QAnon
verified accounts on X and major far-right influencers on platforms like Telegram were celebrating.
white supremacists online celebrated the reference to the racist and antisemitic conspiracy
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Brianna Juneau has a conflict of interest with NASA as she is reporting on their Night Sky update program for school related purposes and personal-use purposes.
The article mentions the speaker stargazing series at Montana Learning Center Observatory which was organized by Ryan Hannahoe, who works at NASA.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of celestial events as they are an employee at Montana Learning Center Observatory and have been involved in speaker stargazing series.
Earth reached perihelion on January 3 at 12:38 A.M. UTC (January 2 at 7:38 P.M. EST), when Earth was slightly more than 147 million kilometers from our star.
The moon will pass directly in front of the bright red star Antares on January 8 for early risers in the extreme western U.S., shortly before dawn.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article contains a few examples of deceptive practices. Firstly, the author uses sensationalism by stating that there are 'some very interesting and beautiful cosmic images to show for it' without providing any context or evidence. Secondly, the author selectively reports on events in 2024 while ignoring other significant astronomical events happening at the same time. Lastly, the article contains a lie of omission by not mentioning that Earth is actually at perihelion during January 3rd.
The statement 'there are some very interesting and beautiful cosmic images to show for it' without providing any context or evidence is an example of sensationalism.
Selectively reporting on events in 2024 while ignoring other significant astronomical events happening at the same time is an example of selective reporting.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains two examples of informal fallacies: an appeal to authority and a false dilemma. The author cites the position of NASA as evidence that Earth is not at perihelion yet, despite the fact that this information is readily available on their website. This constitutes an appeal to authority fallacy because it suggests that something must be true simply because it comes from an authoritative source without providing any evidence or reasoning for why this should be accepted as true. Additionally, the article presents a false dilemma by stating that Earth's distance from the sun has little to do with our seasons unless you read the author's articles regularly. This implies that there are only two options: either accept what is stated without any evidence or reasoning, or agree with everything in their articles. However, this ignores other sources of information and perspectives on the topic.
The article cites NASA as evidence that Earth is not at perihelion yet, despite the fact that this information is readily available on their website.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Phil Plait has a financial stake in the space industry as he is an astrophysicist and author of several books on the subject. He also has professional affiliations with organizations that promote space exploration.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Phil Plait has a conflict of interest on the topic of Earth at Perihelion as he is an astrophysicist and author who writes about space science. He also has a financial tie to Scientific American where his article was published.
The April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse will be better than the one on August 21, 2017 because it will have over four minutes of totality and get much darker during that time.
During the total eclipse on April 8, 2024, Earth's rotation creates a shadow trail called the path of totality that crosses parts of Mexico, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri. Any locations outside this narrow band will only see a partial eclipse.
The sun is very active now and will likely produce a corona larger than seen in the previous solar eclipse due to low solar activity.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that they took their protective glasses off during totality which is not allowed and could cause serious eye damage. Secondly, the author states that it was a long eclipse with over four minutes of totality but fails to mention that this only applies to parts of North America and not globally. Lastly, the article uses sensationalism by describing how dark it got during totality which is subjective and could vary depending on location.
The author claims they took their protective glasses off during totality but this is not allowed and could cause serious eye damage.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when they quote Bob Baer from Southern Illinois University as a source for information about the eclipse. This is not a logical fallacy in itself, but it does raise questions about the credibility of the source and whether their opinions should be taken at face value without further investigation or context. Additionally, there are several instances where dichotomous depictions are used to describe the effects of totality during the eclipse. For example,
Birds squawked in weird intonations
a few stars dotted a purplish sky
the temperature felt like it dropped several degrees
Bias
(85%)
The author has a religious bias as they mention the 'awestruck' feeling of seeing the sun's corona flaring around the moon and also mentions that it was during totality. The author also uses language like 'celestial wonder', which is not objective but rather subjective.
Feeling euphoric, I finally understood why so-called eclipse chasers travel the world in pursuit of them.
I took my protective glasses off something you can only do during totality
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of total solar eclipses as they are a member of the Southern Illinois Eclipse 2017-2024 Steering Committee.
Devorah Lev-Tov is listed as a member of the Southern Illinois Eclipse 2017-2024 Steering Committee on National Geographic's website.
A rare celestial event, a total solar eclipse, is coming on April 8th.
The moon will temporarily block all sunlight on a swath of Earth for about four minutes from northern Mexico to New England.
This year's total eclipse is special because we may not see another one in the United States for two more decades and humans might be on the moon by then.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article contains several examples of deceptive practices. Firstly, the author uses sensationalism by stating that this year's total solar eclipse is special because we may not see another one in the United States for two more decades and humans might be on the moon by then. This statement exaggerates the importance of a celestial event and creates unnecessary hype. Secondly, there are several instances where science is presented as fact without any supporting evidence or peer-reviewed studies being cited. For example, when it states that
Birds and insects will fall silent in the darkness.
The air will suddenly become colder by around 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by stating that NASA program manager Kelly Korreck said something in a news conference at the American Geophysical Union conference. However, this does not necessarily mean that what she said is accurate or reliable. Secondly, there are multiple instances of inflammatory rhetoric used throughout the article such as
A rare celestial event is mere months away.
The air will suddenly become colder by around 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Birds and insects will fall silent in the darkness.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that the total solar eclipse is special because we may not see another one in the United States for two more decades. This implies a sense of urgency and importance to experience this event.
“This is going to be the most populated eclipse in the U.S. with 31.5 million people able to just walk outside of their homes and experience this event,” Kelly Korreck, NASA program manager for the 2024 total solar eclipse, said in a news conference at the American Geophysical Union conference.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Kasha Patel has a conflict of interest on the topic of total solar eclipses as she is the NASA program manager for the 2024 total solar eclipse.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of total solar eclipses as they are an American Geophysical Union conference program manager for the 2024 total solar eclipse.
