Author: Robert Lunsford

During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Sunday December 10th. At that time the half-illuminated moon will lie 90 degrees west of the sun and will rise near midnight local standard time (LST) as seen from mid-northern latitudes. As the week progresses the waning moon will rise even later in the morning creating better viewing conditions.

During this period the moon will reach its full phase on Sunday December 3rd. At that time the moon will lie opposite the sun and will lie above the horizon all night long as seen from the northern hemisphere. Later in this period the moon will rise during the late evening hours allowing a few hours of observing under dark skies between dusk and moon rise.

During this period the moon will reach its new phase on Saturday November 18th. At this time the moon will lie near the sun and will be invisible at night. Next week the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening sky but will not interfere with meteor observing.

During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Saturday November 11th. At this time the half-illuminated moon will rise near midnight local standard time (LST) and will remain above the horizon the remainder of...

During this period the moon will reach its full phase on Saturday November 4. At this time the bright moon will be above the horizon all night long and will severely limit the amount of meteor activity to be seen. As the week progresses the evening hours become more favorable for viewing as the moon rises later in the night. Unfortunately the evening hours are usually slow with rates rarely surpassing 5 per hour. This is a good time to try an catch a bright Taurid meteor or perhaps a rare Andromedid!