Author: Robert Lunsford

During this period the moon will reach its last quarter phase on Saturday June 17. At this time the half-illuminated moon will rise near 0100 for most observers located at mid-northern latitudes. While these conditions are not perfect, one can still obtain good meteor viewing results simply by viewing in a direction so that the moon lies out of your field of view. Conditions improve with each passing night as the moon wanes and rises later and later.

During this period the moon’s phase will wane from full down to nearly half illuminated. This will be the worst week of the month to try and view meteor activity as the bright moon remain above the horizon nearly all night long and will obscure all but the brighter meteors.

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Friday June 9th. At that time the moon is located opposite the sun and will remain above the horizon all night long. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours allowing a couple of hours of viewing under dark skies before morning twilight arrives.

During this period the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Thursday June 1st. At that time the moon is located 90 degrees east of the sun and will set between 0100 and 0200, depending on your location. This weekend the waxing crescent moon will be present in the evening sky but will not interfere with meteor observing as it sets shortly after dusk.

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Thursday May 25th. At that time the moon is located near the sun and is invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the early morning hours and will not interfere with meteor observing as long as one keeps the moon out of their field of view.