Author: Robert Lunsford

During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Thursday August 24th. At that time the half-illuminated moon will be located 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near 22:00 local summer time (LST). This...

During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Wednesday August 16th. At this time the moon will be located near the sun and will be invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the early...

During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Tuesday August 8th. At this time the half-illuminated moon will rise near midnight local summer time (LST). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the...

Meteor activity kicks into high gear in August as seen from the northern hemisphere. The main reason for all this activity is the Perseid shower that peak on August 13th. This shower is active most of the month and remains above...

During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Tuesday July 25th. At that time, the half-illuminated moon will set near midnight (on July 26th). This will allow the more active morning hours to be free of interfering moonlight. As the week progresses the gibbous moon will begin to encroach upon the early morning hours and will begin to interfere with meteor observations during that time. This weekend the viewing conditions will be favorable as the crescent moon will set during the evening hours and will not interfere with the more active morning hours.