The AMS has received over 200 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above NY State on November 11th, 2017 around 09:20pm EST (02:20 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from New York and Pennsylvania but was also seen from Michigan, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Delaware, Connecticut, West Virginia, Vermont and Ontario and Québec (Canada).
During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Saturday November 11th. At this time the half-illuminated moon will rise near midnight local standard time (LST) and will remain above the horizon the remainder of the night. The moon will be bright but successful meteor watches can be conducted if you face away from the lunar glare. Viewing circumstances improve with each passing night as the moon's phase wanes and it rises later in the morning.
Since 2011, the American Meteor Society (AMS) online fireball report form has been translated in 30 different languages. We now receive thousands of reports from all around the world. Lately, we received more than 120 reports about a Fireball event that occurred over South East of France (Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur) on October, 30th.
As the week progresses the evening hours become more favorable for viewing as the moon rises later in the night. Unfortunately the evening hours are usually slow with rates rarely surpassing 5 per hour. This is a good time to try an catch a bright Taurid meteor or perhaps a rare Andromedid!
On October 25th 3:42am MDT (09:42 UT), amateur radio astronomer Thomas Ashcraft caught an Earth-grazer Fireball over his personal observatory "Heliotown" in Lamy, New Mexico. Earth-grazing fireballs are a bright meteors that enter Earth’s atmosphere at a very shallow angle and skim along the top of the atmosphere. Some actually re-enter space. Ashcraft combines all-sky video camera observations with a...
As seen from the northern hemisphere, meteor rates continue to be strong in November. While no major activity is expected this month, the two Taurid radiants plus the Leonids keep the skies active.
The AMS has received nearly 200 reports so far about of a daytime fireball event seen above NY State on October 18th, 2017 around 03:00pm EDT (19:00 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from New York and New Jersey but was also seen from Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland and New Hampshire.
During this period the moon will reach its first quarter phase on Friday October 27th. At this time the moon will be located 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near midnight local daylight saving time (LDT) for observers viewing from mid-northern latitudes. This weekend the waxing crescent moon will set shortly after dusk and will not interfere with meteor observing...
The Orionids, like all meteor showers, are named after the constellation in which they appear to come from, which in this case is Orion. Remnants from this shower come from Halley's Comet, officially designated 1P/Halley.
For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates for this week should be near 17 as seen from mid-northern latitudes and 16 from the southern tropics. The actual rates will also depend on factors such as...
On October, 9, 1992, a very bright fireball flew over West Virginia, traveled some 700km (435 miles) north-east and ended-up its flight over the Peekskill northern Westchester County. This event is among the most historic meteorite events on record...
During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Thursday October 12th. At this time the moon will be located 90 degrees west of the sun and will rise near 2300 local daylight saving time (LDT). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the late evening hours creating difficult conditions to see meteor activity the remainder of the night due to the moon's glare.
During this period the moon will reach its full phase on Thursday October 5th. At this time the moon will be located 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, allowing meteor observers a few hours of dark skies before the first light of dawn.
During this period the moon will reach its first quarter phase on Wednesday September 27th. At this time the moon will be located 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near 0100 local summer time (LST). This weekend the waxing crescent moon will set shortly after dusk, allowing meteor observers dark skies the remainder of the night.
The AMS has received over 200 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above Maryland and Pennsylvania on September 17th, 2017 around 00:59am EDT (04:59 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from Maryland and Pennsylvania but was also seen from New York, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, Ohio and Massachusetts.
During this period the moon will reach its new phase on Wednesday September 20th. 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 pose any problems to those trying to view meteor activity.
During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Wednesday September 13th. At this time the moon will be located 90 degrees west of the sun and will rise near midnight local daylight time (LDT) as seen from mid-northern latitudes. This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the late evening hours and will ruin the prime meteor viewing hours with its intense moonlight.
The AMS has received over 300 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above the province of British Columbia (Canada) on September 4th, 2017 around 10:14pm PDT (September 5th, 2017 ~ 05:14 Universal Time). The fireball was seen primarily from British Columbia but was also seen from Alberta and Saskatchewan as well as from Washington, Idaho and Montana.
September offers longer nights in the northern hemisphere that tend to be less hazy than those experienced in mid-summer. In the sky, no major showers are visible from either hemisphere but the northern hemisphere enjoys the advantage of higher sporadic rates.
The AMS has received over 900 reports so far about of a fireball event seen above the state of Pennsylvania on August 25, 2017 around 9:14pm EDT (August 26, 2017 ~ 01:14 Universal Time).
During this period the moon will reach its first quarter phase on Tuesday August 29th. At this time the half-illuminated moon will be located 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near midnight for observers located at mid-northern latitudes. This weekend the waxing crescent moon will set during the late evening hours allowing the more active morning hours to be free of interfering moonlight.
American Meteor Society