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Robert Lunsford

Robert Lunsford

Bob has been interested in the stars as far back as he can recall His first experience with meteors was a biggie, the 1966 Leonid shower. In 1980, a major awaking occurred. He received a sample copy of Meteor News. He was amazed to learn there was a group actually devoted strictly to meteor observing! He joined the group also started to view some of the minor showers list among the pages of Meteor News. Lastly, he was contracted by Springer Publishing in 2007 to write a book on observing meteors. The book is now available and hopefully will be a useful guide to all interested in the enjoyable field of meteor observing.

Viewing the 2023 Quadrantid Meteor Shower

The Quadrantids can be one of the strongest displays of the year, yet they are difficult to observe. The main factor is that the display of strong activity only has a duration of about 6 hours. The reason the peak is so short is due to the shower’s thin stream of particles and the fact that the Earth crosses the stream at a perpendicular angle.

by - Dec 27, 2022 -

Meteor Activity Outlook for December 17-23, 2022

During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Friday December 23rd. At that time the moon will lie near the sun and will be invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the early morning hours but should not interfere with meteor observing as long as you keep it out of your field of view.

by - Dec 16, 2022 - 1

Meteor Activity Outlook for December 10-16, 2022

During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Friday December 16th. At that time the moon will lie 90 degrees west of the sun and will rise near midnight local standard time (LST). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the late evening hours, allowing a short window of opportunity to view under dark sky conditions between moonrise and dusk.

by - Dec 9, 2022 -

Meteor Activity Outlook for December 3-9, 2022

During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Thursday December 8th. At that time the moon will lie opposite the sun and will lie above the horizon all night long This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours and will provide a short window of opportunity to view under dark sky conditions between moonset and dawn.

by - Dec 2, 2022 -

Meteor Activity Outlook for November 26-December 2, 2022

During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Thursday November 30th. At that time the moon will lie 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near 2300 local standard time (LST) on November 29th. This weekend the waxing crescent moon will set during the early evening hours and will not interfere with meteor observing during the more active morning hours.

by - Nov 25, 2022 - 3

Meteor Activity Outlook for November 19-25, 2022

During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Wednesday November 23rd. At that time the moon will lie near the sun and will be invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the late morning hours and can be easily avoided by keeping it out of your field of view.

by - Nov 18, 2022 - 1

Viewing the Leonid Meteor Shower in 2022

The Leonids are remnants of comet 55P Tempel-Tuttle, which last passed through the inner solar system in 1998. The comet has just passed its farthest point from the sun and is now on its inbound leg of its journey around the sun. It is expected to be closest to the sun again in 2031.

by - Nov 15, 2022 -

Meteor Activity Outlook for November 12-18, 2022

During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Wednesday November 16th. At that time the moon will lie 90 degrees west of the sun and will rise near 2300 local standard time (LST) on the 15th. This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the mid-evening hours, allowing a window of opportunity to view under dark conditions between the end of dusk and moon rise.

by - Nov 11, 2022 - 1

Will There Be a Swarm of Taurid Meteors This Year?

The annual Taurid meteor shower usually does not inspire too much excitement as each branch (North & South) rarely produce more than 5 shower members per hour at maximum. They are usually in the background for those viewing the more potent Orionid meteor shower, providing a few nice slow meteors in contrast to the swift Orionids. This year could be different though as the southern branch of the Taurids is predicted to produce an increasing number of meteors this year.

by - Oct 25, 2022 -