During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Saturday May 21st. This is the worst time to try and view meteor activity as the glare from the moon will obscure all but the brightest meteors. Conditions improve slightly as the moon wanes and rises later in the evening. Unfortunately early evening meteor rates are very low, moon or no moon.
Read MoreDuring this period the moon waxes from half illuminated to nearly full by the end of the period. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours for locations in the mid-northern latitudes. This will allow a few hours of observations under dark skies between moonset and the start of morning twilight. This window of opportunity to view under dark conditions shrinks with each passing night until late in the week when there is interfering moonlight all night long.
Read MoreDuring this period the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Friday May 13th. On that date the moon will be located 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near 0200 local summer time (LST) for most locations in the mid-northern latitudes. This weekend the slender waxing crescent moon will pose no problems for meteor observers. It will set during the late evening hours allowing the more active morning hours to be free of interfering moonlight.
Read MoreRadiant Positions at 9pm Local Summer Time Radiant Positions at 1am Local Summer Time Radiant Positions at 5am Local Summer Time During this period the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Saturday April 30th. On that...
Read MoreDuring this period the moon wanes from its full phase to nearly one-half illuminated. This is the worst time of the month to try and view meteor activity as the bright moonlight will obscure all but the brightest meteors.
Read More
