Author: Robert Lunsford

During this period the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Saturday March 4. At this time the moon is located 90 degrees east of the sun and is located high in the sky at dusk. It will remain above the horizon until around 0100, when it sets on the northwestern horizon. The remaining hours of the night will remain moon-free and good for meteor viewing. As this period progresses the waxing gibbous moon will set approximately 45 later with each passing night. By the end of the period the nearly full moon will remain above the horizon nearly all night long.

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Sunday February 26. At this time the moon is located near the sun and is invisible at night. As the week progresses the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening sky but will not interfere with meteor observing.

During this period the moon starts out just slightly less than half illuminated and wanes down to a thin sliver, rising just before the sun. This weekend the moon rises near 0100 as seen from mid-northern latitudes. It’s nearly half illuminated and still bright but it does not possess the overpowering effect on faint objects that the full moon does. One can hold successful meteor viewing sessions this week by simply facing away from the moon toward darker portions of the sky. You can also view before the moon rises but February evenings are dreadfully slow as seen from the northern hemisphere.

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Saturday, February 11. This weekend the bright moon will make meteor observing extremely difficult as all but the brighter meteors will be obscured by the lunar glare. Toward the end of the period there will be several hours of dark skies available between the end of dusk and moonrise during the evening hours.

During this period the moon waxes from half illuminated to nearly full. This weekend the half-illuminated moon will set near 0200, allowing the remainder of the morning to be moon-free and prime time for meteor observing. This window of dark sky shrinks with each passing night until the moon lies above the horizon all night long at the end of the period.