Author: Robert Lunsford

During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Sunday July 16. While the half-illuminated moon will certainly cast some glare in the night sky, it is still much less bright than the full moon. Therefore successful meteor observations can be obtained by simply keeping the moon out of your field of view while observing.

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Sunday July 9. At that time the moon will rise near dusk and set near dawn. Since the brilliant moon lie above the horizon most of the night, it will be difficult to observe meteor activity.

During this period the moon’s phase will increase from half illuminated to nearly full. This weekend the half illuminated moon will set during the early morning hours allowing a couple of hours of viewing under dark conditions. With each passing night this window of opportunity shrinks and by the end of the period the full moon will lie above the horizon nearly the entire night.

During this period the moon will reach its new phase on Friday June 23. At this time the moon will lie near the sun and will not be visible at night. Later in this period the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening sky but will not interfere with meteor observing, especially during the more active morning hours.

During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Saturday June 17. At this time the half-illuminated moon will rise near 0100 for most observers located at mid-northern latitudes. While these conditions are not perfect, one can still obtain good meteor viewing results simply by viewing in a direction so that the moon lies out of your field of view. Conditions improve with each passing night as the moon wanes and rises later and later.