All articles

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Tuesday February 21st. At that time the moon will be located near the sun and will not be visible at night. This will be the best time this month toRead More >

During this period the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Tuesday February 14th. At that time the moon will be located ninety degrees west of the sun and will rise near 0100 local standard time (LST) for observers locatedRead More >

We just got this email from Bill Cooke, the directory of the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office. Great work Bill! We have spent the last few days analyzing the Sandia camera videos kindly provided by James Beauchamp and Kevin Palivec (alsoRead More >


Over 54 fireball witness reports have been logged with the AMS regarding a large fireball seen from New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware & Virginia on Friday night at 10:20 PM. From Washington VA It was very intensely bright and large and appeared to beRead More >

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Tuesday February 7th. At that time the moon will be located opposite the sun in the sky and will remain above the horizon all night long. This weekend the waxingRead More >

The American Meteor Society has received over 125 witness reports about a large fireball spotted over central texas. Click the map below for an interactive witness map for this event. After the map loads, click the icons for the people to seeRead More >


The American Meteor Society is pleased to accept a commemorative plaque celebrating our centennial from the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) . Special thanks from the AMS to AAVSO director Arne Henden and all AAVSO members. Here is aRead More >

February offers the meteor observer in the northern hemisphere a couple of weak showers plus falling sporadic rates. This may not seem too exiting but you never know when surprises are in store. An errant earthgrazer from the Centaurid complexRead More >

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Monday January 23rd. At this time the moon will be located near the sun and will not be visible at night. This will be the best time of the monthRead More >


The 2012 Meteor Shower List is presented in four separate parts. The showers are broken down by intensity with major, minor, variable, and weak showers being separated into their own groups. The general public and news agencies are encouraged toRead More >

During this period the moon reaches it full phase on Monday January 9th. At this time the moon will be located opposite the sun and will be above the horizon the entire night. This is the worst time to tryRead More >

The American Meteor Society has so far received approximately 50 reports of a bright fireball over much of the southwestern states of the USA,  from Colorado to California.  Most of the reports have come from Arizona and New Mexico. ThisRead More >


January is best known for the Quadrantids, which have the potential of being the best shower of the year. Unfortunately this shower is short lived and occurs during some of the worst weather in the northern hemisphere. Due to theRead More >

The next major shower will be the Quadrantids, which are predicted to peak near 07:30 Universal Time on January 4, 2012. This timing favors North America with local peak times ranging from 02:30am EST on January 4th to 11:30 PSTRead More >

During this period the moon reaches it new phase on Saturday December 24th. At this time the moon will be located near the sun and will be invisible at night. As the week progresses the waxing crescent moon will enterRead More >


The Ursids are an obscure shower that is active for a week prior to Christmas. This shower is listed among the annual major showers as its ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rate) averages ten shower members per hour. Actual rates can beRead More >

During this period the moon reaches it last quarter phase on Sunday December 18th. The half illuminated moon is still very bright and must be kept out of your field of view for successful meteor observations. During this period, theRead More >

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Saturday December 10th. At this time the moon will lie above the horizon the entire night and will severely impact meteor observing by obscuring all but the brightest meteors. AsRead More >


The American Meteor Society has so far received approximately 50 reports of a dazzling fireball over much of the eastern half of the USA, stretching all the way from South Carolina to Wisconsin.  Most of the reports have come fromRead More >

No matter where you live, the first half of December provides some of the best meteor activity of the year. Unfortunately in 2011, the moon will spoil much of this activity as I reaches its full phase on the 10th.Read More >

The Geminid meteor shower normally provides the strongest display of meteor activity each year. Unfortunately, this year, like many of the other major annual showers, the Geminids will be compromised by a bright moon. Activity from this source may beRead More >