During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Monday January 17th. At that time the moon lies opposite the sun and remains above the horizon all night long. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set just prior to dawn, allowing only a small amount of time to view under moonless conditions before the break of dawn.
Rick Matthias was photographing the summer Milky Way during the Perseid meteor shower last August when this bright meteor shot…
During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Sunday January 2nd. At that time the moon lies near the sun and is invisible at night. As the week progresses the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening sky but will set long before the more active morning hour arrive.
The Quadrantids can be one of the strongest displays of the year, yet they are difficult to observe.
During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Sunday December 26th. At that time the moon lies 90 degrees west of the sun and rises near 23:00 local standard time (LST). As the week progresses the waning crescent moon will rise approximately 45 minutes later each night, allowing more of the morning hours to be free of interfering moonlight.
During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Sunday December 19th. At that time the moon lies opposite the sun and is above the horizon all night long. As the week progresses the waning gibbous moon will rise approximately 45 minutes later each night, allowing a small window of opportunity to view under dark skies between dusk and moon rise.
During this period, the moon waxes from its first quarter phase to nearly full. This weekend the waxing gibbous is in the sky during the evening hours and sets just after midnight local standard time. As the week progresses the moon will set approximately 45 minutes later each night and by the end of the week it will be above the horizon all night long.
Year in and year out the Geminids are currently the most dependable meteor shower. Unfortunately, they are active in December when temperatures are often cold and skies cloudy in the northern hemisphere. Then is this display worth viewing this year? Most certainly, but this year will be compromised with a bright waxing gibbous moon in the sky until 2:00am. Many meteors can still be seen it will be more of a challenge than usual.
During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Saturday December 4. At that time the moon lies near the sun and is invisible at night. As the week progresses the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening sky but will set before the more active morning hours arrive.
During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Saturday November 27. At that time the moon will rise near 23:00 (on Nov. 26). This weekend the morning sky will be bathed in moonlight from the half-illuminated moon. If your sky is transparent, successful meteor observations can be undertaken under such circumstances. It helps to face a direction opposite the moonlight in order to sustain your night vision. As the week progresses the moon becomes less of a nuisance as its phase wanes, and it rises later in the morning with each passing night.
During this period, the moon wanes from nearly full to just over half illuminated. This is the worst time of the month to try and view meteor activity as the more active morning hours are completely saturated by moonlight. If one has patience, you can try viewing during the evening hours between dusk and moonrise.
We received more than 170 reports so far about a daylight fireball event that occurred over the New Jersey coast on November 13th, 2021 around 04:30pm EST (21:30 Universal Time). The AMS #2021-7611 event was mainly seen from the New Jersey but we also received reports from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania.
During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Friday November 19th. At that time the moon lies opposite the sun and remains above the horizon all night long. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours, allowing a few hours of observing between moonset and dawn.
Some of the images shown on this website may involve HDR technology and as such may not be compatible with either meteor magnitudes or meteor rates obtained by traditional visual or other standard photometric techniques.
American Meteor Society
