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From meteor showers to ‘shadowless moments’, some astronomical events in 2024
Indonesians will be able to see various astronomical phenomena this year, ranging from meteor showers to "shadowless moments".
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Baihaqi Ibnu Haizan, a 12-year-old student, observes the Sun through a telescope at Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta on March 1, 2024. Baihaqi attended an event to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory. (JP/Nur Janti)
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nder a bright, clear sky, Baihaqi Ibnu Haizan, a 12-year-old student who came to the 55th anniversary of the Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory, patiently waited in line to peer at the Sun through a telescope in Taman Ismail Marzuki.
On Friday, the Jakarta Planetarium in collaboration with the astronomy community Jakarta Amateur Astronomy Association (HAAJ) held a solar viewing, water rocket games and a mini planetarium show, which were enthusiastically attended by hundreds of children, including Baihaqi.
Baihaqi came all the way from Depok, West Java, on the Commuter Line train with his mother, Sofia Ratna Kumala, 46. After gazing at the Sun, Baihaqi told The Jakarta Post that he was fascinated by its activities, including sunspots and flares.
Sunspots appear darker than the rest of the sun because they are cooler as a result of strong magnetic fields that keep some of the heat of the Sun from reaching its surface, while solar flares are sudden explosions of energy caused by the crossing of magnetic field lines near sunspots.
"It's fun to watch the Sun," he said. "I will watch other [astronomical phenomena].”
The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) have separately noted some astronomical events that will occur this year, from meteor showers to “shadowless” days, which have excited some sky watchers.
