The estimated total hourly meteor rates for evening observers this week is near 3 for those viewing from the northern hemisphere and 2 for those located south of the equator. For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near 18 as seen from mid-northern latitudes and 13 from the southern tropics. Rates are reduced during this period due to moonlight.
During this period the moon will reach its new phase on Tuesday October 16th. At this time the moon will be located 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near midnight local daylight saving time (DST). This weekend the waxing crescent moon will set during the late evening hours leaving the remainder of the night nice and dark for meteor observing.
The AMS has received over 70 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above Florida on October 6th, 2018 around 10:20pm EDT (October 7th 02:20 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from Florida but was also seen from South Carolina and Georgia.
During this period the moon will reach its new phase on Tuesday October 9th. At this time the moon will be located near the sun and will be invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise just before dawn and will not interfere with viewing meteor activity.
During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Tuesday October 2nd. At this time the moon will be located 90 degrees west of the sun and will rise between 2300 (11pm) and 0000 (midnight) local summer time (LST). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the late evening hours. This will hamper meteor observations the remainder of the night as the bright moonlight will obscure all but the brightest meteors. Conditions improve with each passing night as the moon wanes and rises later.
Eliot Herman captured this fine example of a September epsilon Perseid on September 11, 2018 from Tucson, Arizona USA…
During this period the moon will reach its first quarter phase on Sunday September 16th. At that time the moon will lie 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near midnight local daylight saving time (LDT). As the week progresses the waxing gibbous moon will set later and later, shrinking the window of opportunity to view meteor activity under dark skies.
During this period the moon will reach its new phase on Sunday September 9th. At that time the moon will lie near the sun in the sky and will be invisible at night. As the week progresses the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening sky but will not interfere with viewing meteor activity.
During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Monday September 3rd. At that time the moon will lie 90 degrees west of the sun in the sky and will rise near midnight local daylight saving time (LDT) as seen from mid-northern latitudes. As the week progresses the waning crescent moon will rise later with each passing night, creating more favorable viewing conditions.
The AMS has received over 500 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above Missouri on August 27th, 2018 around 8:40pm CDT (August 28th 01:40 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from Missouri but was also seen from Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska.
During this period the moon will reach its full phase on Sunday August 26th. At that time the moon will lie opposite of the sun in the sky and will remain above the horizon all night long. As the week progresses the waning gibbous moon will rise during the late evening hours with the moon severely hampering efforts to see meteor activity during the more active morning hours.
A meteorite has been found in Arizona. The fall has been recorded by an AMS camera.
During this period the moon will reach its first quarter phase on Saturday August 18th. At that time the moon will lie 90 degrees east of the sun in the sky and will set near midnight local daylight saving time (LDT) as seen from mid-northern latitudes. As the week progresses the waxing gibbous moon will encroach upon the morning hours, limiting the time observers have to view under moonless conditions.
During this period the moon will reach its new phase on Saturday August 11th. At that time the moon will lie near the sun in the sky and will be invisible at night. As the week progresses the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening sky but will not cause much interference for meteor observers, especially during the more active morning hours.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirmed "an object of unspecified size travelling at 24.4km/s struck earth in Greenland, just 43km (~28 miles) north of an early missile warning Thule Air Base on the 25th of July, 2018". There was no public warning from the US government about the incident.
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!
During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Saturday August 4th. This is good for evening observations but once the moon rises during the early morning hours, conditions will be less than ideal. These conditions improve with each passing night to where there is little lunar interference at the end of this period.
During this period the moon will wane from it's nearly full phase down to almost half-illuminated. This weekend the moon will rise shortly after dusk and will rise approximately 45 minutes later each night. Although meteor activity is strong this time of year the bright moon will obscure all but the brighter meteors.
During this period the moon will reach it's full phase on Friday July 27th. At that time the moon will be located opposite the sun and will lie above the horizon most of the night. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours allowing a few hours of dark skies in which to watch meteor activity under good conditions.
During this period the moon will reach it's first quarter phase on Thursday July 19th. At that time the moon will be located 90 degrees east of the sun and will set around 0100 local daylight saving time (DST). This weekend the waxing crescent moon will set during the early evening hours and will not interfere with meteor viewing.
The AMS has received nearly 600 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above Iowa and Michigan on July 8th, 2018 around 8:40pm CDT (July 9th 01:40 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from Iowa and Illinois but was also seen from Minnesota, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.
American Meteor Society