I had an unexpected night off of work so I thought I would take advantage of the clear skies and try to view some meteors. After a 3 hour nap I woke and headed east to darker skies. Unfortunately the sky was clear all the way to...
Read MoreDuring this period the moon reaches its new phase on Thursday September 1st. 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 a few hours before dawn. This will allow unimpeded meteor observations nearly all night long. Even when the moon is above the horizon it will be too thin and too low in the sky to cause problems.
Read MoreDuring this period the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Thursday August 25th. At this time the moon will lie 90 degrees west of the sun and will rise near midnight local summer time (LST) for observers located at mid-northern latitudes. This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise around 2100 LST and will remain above the horizon the remainder of the night. The bright moon will obscure many of the fainter meteors that would otherwise be seen in a darker sky.
Read MoreDuring Thursday afternoon there was a surge of tropical moisture into the area. When this moisture rose over the mountains it created towering cumulus clouds. Luckily, this was not a strong surge and these clouds dissipated soon...
Read MoreDuring this period the moon reaches its full phase on Thursday August 18th. At this time the moon will lie opposite the sun and will lie above the horizon all night long. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set shortly before the start of dawn, obscuring many of the fainter meteors that would otherwise be seen in a darker sky .
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