Archive: News

Meteor Activity Outlook for September 4-10, 2021

During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Monday September 6th. At that time the moon lies near the sun and is invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise shortly before dawn and will not interfere with meteor observing. Late in this period the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening sky but again it will set near the end of dusk and will not interfere with meteor observing.

by - Sep 3, 2021 -

Meteor Activity Outlook for August 28-September 3, 2021

During this period evening skies will be free of interfering moonlight, but morning observers must take care to avoid the moon within their field of view. The moon rises later with each passing night enlarging the window of opportunity to view meteor activity under darker skies.

by - Aug 27, 2021 - 2

Meteor Activity Outlook for August 7-13, 2021

During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Sunday August 8th. At that time the moon lies near the sun and is invisible at night. As the week progresses the waxing crescent moon enters the evening sky but will set before the more active morning hours arrive.

by - Aug 6, 2021 - 3

Viewing the Perseid Meteor Shower in 2021

The Perseids are often the most impressive Meteor Shower of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. The Perseid meteor shower offers a consistently high rate of meteors every year and it occurs in August when the temperatures are usually nice enough for a night under the stars!

by - Jul 22, 2021 - 4

Meteor Activity Outlook for July 17-23, 2021

During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Saturday July 17th. At this time the moon lies near 90 degrees east of the sun and sets near midnight local daylight saving time (LDST). As the week progresses the waxing gibbous moon enters the morning sky and will begin to interfere with morning meteor observing. By the end of the week the nearly full moon will be in the sky nearly all night long making meteor observing difficult at best.

by - Jul 16, 2021 -

Meteor Activity Outlook for July 3-9, 2021

During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Friday July 9th. At that time the moon is located near the sun and is invisible at night. This weekend a bright crescent moon will illuminate the morning sky. Successful meteor watches can still be held at this time as long as you keep the moon well out of your field of view. As the week progresses the moon becomes thinner and less of a problem until it disappears entirely into the morning twilight late in the period.

by - Jul 2, 2021 - 1

Meteor Activity Outlook for June 19-25, 2021

During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Thursday June 24th. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours allowing a few hours of viewing meteor activity under a dark sky between moon set and dawn. This window of opportunity shrinks with each passing night and by midweek the time of moon set and dawn will be simultaneous.

by - Jun 18, 2021 - 2

Meteor Activity Outlook for June 12-18, 2021

During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Friday June 18th. At that time the half-illuminated moon will set near 01:00 local daylight time (LDST), allowing the more active morning hours to be free of interfering moonlight.

by - Jun 11, 2021 -

Meteor Activity Outlook for May 29-June 4, 2021

During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Wednesday June 2nd. On this date the moon is located 90 degrees west of the sun and rises near 02:00 local daylight saving time (LDST). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the early evening hours and will create difficult conditions for view meteor activity the remainder of the night.

by - May 29, 2021 - 14

Meteor Activity Outlook for May 22-28, 2021

During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Wednesday May 26th. On this date the moon is located opposite the sun and remains above the horizon all night long. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours, leaving a small opportunity to view in dark conditions between moon set and morning twilight.

by - May 21, 2021 - 1

Meteor Activity Outlook for May 15-21, 2021

During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Wednesday May 19th. On this date the half-illuminated moon is located 90 degrees east of the sun and sets near 2:00 local daylight saving time (LDST). This weekend the waxing crescent moon will set during the early evening hours and will not interfere with meteor observing.

by - May 14, 2021 -

Meteor Activity Outlook for May 8-14, 2021

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Tuesday May 11th. On this date the moon is located near the sun and is invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the early morning hours but will not interfere with meteor observing as it will be too thin and only in the sky an hour or two prior to sunrise.

by - May 7, 2021 -

Viewing the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower in 2021

In 2020, the full moon coincided with the shower's maximum and the display was muted. This year, conditions are better as the much less bright waning crescent moon will be located 10 degrees south of the radiant at maximum activity.

by - May 3, 2021 -

Meteor Activity Outlook for May 1-7, 2021

During this period the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Monday May 3rd. On this date the moon is located 90 degrees west of the sun and rises near 2:00 local daylight saving time (LDST). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the early morning hours and will spoil any observing attempts once it has risen. As the moon reaches its last quarter phase, the glare will not be so bad and successful meteor observations can be conducted if you keep the moon out of your field of view.

by - Apr 30, 2021 -

Viewing the Lyrids in 2021

The normal Lyrid display, seen under moonless conditions, usually offers a peak of around 10 meteors per hour in addition to the normal random meteor rate of about 5 per hour.

by - Apr 17, 2021 - 1