Halley's Comet, 20th January 1986. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
What’s the rarest celestial event you have ever seen? With a total solar eclipse in very recent history for the U.S, is possible that you have already had a once in a lifetime experience where you live. However, the night sky has some spectacular sites, some of which will never happen again in your lifetime, but some that will—and some of them soon.
Here are some of the rarest events you can expect to see in the next four decades.
The "Golden Conjunction" on September 8, 2040.
A ‘Golden Conjunction’
Next: September 8, 2040
Frequency: every few hundred years
It’s 16 years until a beautiful planetary conjunction—a so-called “golden conjunction”—when Mars, Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter all become visible in the same tiny 10-degree patch of the night sky. What’s more, it will be visible from across the world right after sunset, with the planets all bunched together in the western sky.
The planet Mercury is seen in silhouette, center, as it transits across the face of the Sun, behind ... [+]
Transit Of Mercury
Next: November 13, 2032
Frequency: 13 times per century
Only two planets appear to transit the sun as seen from Earth—Mercury and Venus, the two inner planets. Although no one alive will likely see the next Transit of Venus—due in 2117 and 2125—a Transit of Mercury is on the cards. It last happened in 2019, and the next one will occur on November 13, 2032, when the “Swift Planet” takes 4 hours and 26 minutes to journey across the sun’s disk as seen from Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East. The next transit of Mercury to be visible from North America won’t be until May 7, 2049.
Return Of Halley’s Comet
Next: 2061
Frequency: every 75–79 years
Last seen in the inner solar system in 1986, Halley’s comet—named after the English astronomer who plotted its orbit in the 17th century—will return to the solar system in 2061. Both May’s Eta-Aqaurid (also spelled Aqauriid by some) and October’s Orionid meteor showers are caused by dust and debris left in the inner solar system by Halley’s comet.
A Naked-Eye Nova
Next: Now through September
Frequency: every 80 years
The prospect of a nova going off before September has recently been raised by NASA scientists. T Coronae Borealis, a white dwarf star 3,000 light-years away from the solar system, suffers a massive explosion on its surface every 80 years.
For a supernova—the violent death of a massive star after a core-collapse—you may have to wait 100,000 years for Betelgeuse to reach its inevitable fate. Or it might be visible tomorrow. All scientists do know is that a supernova hasn’t been seen to explode in our Milky Way galaxy since the 17th century.
A Total Solar Eclipse
Next: August 12, 2026
Frequency: every 18 months (on average) and once every 366 years in any one place (on average)
If you live in the U.S. or Canada, you may have witnessed a total solar eclipse where you live—or close to it—earlier this month. That’s incredible celestial luck, but for those who can travel, it’s possible to see a total solar eclipse more frequently than you may think. The next one is in Greenland, Iceland and Spain in 2026, with North Africa in 2027 and Australia and New Zealand in 2028.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
