During 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 .
Read MoreI woke at 2330 PDT and looked outside at totally overcast skies. I couldn’t have been happier as I knew these low level clouds along the coast would act as a shield and provide me with darker skies from my mountain site some...
Read MoreDuring this period the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Wednesday August 10th. At this time the moon will lie 90 degrees east of the sun and will set near midnight local summer time for observers located in mid-northern latitudes. This weekend the slender waxing crescent moon will set during the late evening hours and will not interfere with viewing meteor activity.
Read MoreThe Perseids are active from July 13th through August 26th. Maximum activity is predicted to occur on the morning of August 12th, when rates in excess of 1 per minute may be seen from dark sky sites. On the morning of maximum the waxing gibbous moon will set between midnight and 0100 local summer time as seen from mid-northern latitudes. This will free up the prime observing hours from interfering moonlight.
Read MoreDuring this period the moon reaches its new phase on Tuesday August 2nd. At this time the moon will lie near the sun and will be invisible at night. This weekend the slender waning crescent moon will rise just before dawn and will not interfere with viewing meteor activity.
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