During this period the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Friday September 23rd. At that time the half illuminated moon will rise near midnight local summer time (LST). This weekend the nearly full moon will be in the sky...
Read MoreDuring this period the moon reaches its full phase on Friday September 16th. This weekend the half-illuminated moon will set during the early morning hours, allowing the remainder of the night to be moon-free and dark for meteor viewing. This window of darkness will decrease as the week progresses until the bright moon remains above the horizon all night long.
Read MoreDuring this period the moon waxes from a very thin crescent phase to nearly half-illuminated by the end of the period. This week will be the best time of the month to view meteor activity as the moon will not interfere with morning observing.
Read MoreI had an unexpected night off of work so I thought I would take advantage of the clear skies and try to view some meteors. After a 3 hour nap I woke and headed east to darker skies. Unfortunately the sky was clear all the way to...
Read MoreDuring this period the moon reaches its new phase on Thursday September 1st. 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 a few hours before dawn. This will allow unimpeded meteor observations nearly all night long. Even when the moon is above the horizon it will be too thin and too low in the sky to cause problems.
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