During this period the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Thursday May 18th. At that time the moon is located 90 degrees west of the sun and rises between 0100 and 0200 local summer time (LST). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the early evening hours and will make viewing meteor activity difficult as the bright moonlight will obscure all but the brighter meteors.
Read MoreDuring this period the moon reaches its full phase on Wednesday May 10th. At this time the moon is located opposite the sun and remains above the horizon all night long. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set near the start of dawn, allowing a very short peek at the morning activity under dark skies.
Read MoreI was off work Monday morning so I thought I would take advantage of the clear skies and view some meteor activity. Despite the good sky I was a bit disappointed in the rates as I only counted 11 meteors during the 2 hour session.
Read MoreI managed to view the Lyrid maximum for 2 hours from my new house located 20 miles east of San Diego
Read MoreDuring this period the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Tuesday May 2nd. At this time the half illuminated moon is located 90 degrees east of the sun and sets near 0200 local summer time (LST) as seen from mid-northern latitudes. This weekend the waxing crescent moon will interfere with meteor observations during the evening hours but will have set by the time midnight arrives. This will allow good meteor viewing conditions for the remainder of the night.
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