American Meteor Society
Meteor Activity Outlook for October 30-November 05, 2021
Christy Turner captured this bright meteor passing passing through a gorgeous star field at 23:10 MDT on 12 August 2021…
Tag Archive: Orionids
Meteor Activity Outlook for October 23-29, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Thursday October 28th. At that time the moon lies 90 degrees west of the sun in the sky and rises near 23:00 (on 27 Oct.) local standard time. This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the early evening hours and will spoil the sky the remainder of the night. Late in this period meteor observers can view activity during the evening hours prior to moon rise.
Fireball over SoCal on October 16th, 2021
The American Meteor Society received more than 115 reports so far about a fireball event that occurred over Southern California on October 16th just past 8:45 PM PDT (October 17th, 03:45 Universal Time). The AMS #2021-6638 event was mainly seen from California, but was also visible from Arizona, Nevada and Utah...
Meteor Activity Outlook for October 16-22, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Wednesday October 20th. At that time the moon lies opposite the sun in the sky and remains above the horizon all night long. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours, allowing a small window of opportunity to view under dark conditions between moon set and dawn.
Meteorite Crash in Southeastern British Columbia
After a meteorite fragment smashed through a residential roof last weekend, Western University meteorite experts are seeking the public’s assistance in sharing privately-held video footage from smart phones, dashboard cams or security cameras that may have captured a fireball passing through the sky over southeastern British Columbia last Sunday evening (October 3, 2021) at 11:33pm local time.
Meteor Activity Outlook for October 9-15, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Tuesday October 12th. At that time the moon lies 90 degrees east of the sun and sets near 23:30 local daylight saving time (LDST). This weekend the waxing crescent moon will set during the evening hours and will not interfere with meteor observing, especially during the more active morning hours.
Bright Fireball West of Denver, CO on October 3rd, 2021
The AMS received more than 40 reports so far about a fireball event that occurred west of Denver, CO on October 2rd, 2021 around 4:34 AM CDT (10:34 Universal Time). The AMS #2021-6226 event was mainly seen from Colorado but we also received reports from Wyoming and New Mexico.
Meteor Activity Outlook for October 2-8, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Wednesday October 6th. At that time the moon lies near the sun and is invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the late morning hours and will not interfere with meteor observing.
Meteor Activity Outlook for September 25-October 1, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Tuesday September 28th. At that time the moon lies 90 degrees west of the sun and rises near 23:00 local daylight saving time (LDST). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the late evening hours and will interfere with meteor observing the remainder of the night.
Meteor Activity Outlook for September 18-24, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Monday September 20th. 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 late morning hours, allowing only a limited opportunity to view under dark skies between moon set and dawn.
Meteor Activity Outlook for September 11-17, 2021
Jordan Ragsdale caught this multiple bursting fireball using an AllSky Camera System (https://www.allskycams.com/). This fireball occurred at 5:16 MDT (11:16…
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.
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.
Meteor Activity Outlook for August 21-27, 2021
Heather Wendelboe created this composite picture from 57 exposures taken from 0016-0424 MDT (0516-0924UT) on August 14, 2021, using a…
Updated: Perseid Meteor Outburst on August 14, 2021
On the morning of August 14, 2021, the Perseid meteor shower displayed an unexpected outburst of meteors between 06:00 and 09:00 Universal Time (1:00-4:00am CDT).
Meteor Activity Outlook for August 14-20, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Sunday August 15th. At that time the moon lies 90 degrees east of the sun and sets near 23:00 local daylight saving time (on Aug. 14). As the week progresses the waxing gibbous moon sets later and later, diminishing the available time of dark sky with each passing night.
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.
Meteor Activity Outlook for July 31-August 6, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Saturday July 31st. At that time the moon lies 90 degrees west of the sun and rises near midnight local daylight saving time (on August 1st). As the week progresses the waning crescent moon rises later each morning, allowing a better view of the active morning sky as glare from the moon subsides.
Meteor Activity Outlook for July 24-30, 2021
During this period, the moon phase wanes from 100 percent illuminated down to nearly one-half illuminated. This weekend the moon lies opposite the sun and is above the horizon all night long. As the week progresses the waning gibbous moon rises later each night, allowing early evening observing under dark skies later next week.
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!
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.