Here is this morning’s waning crescent moon – July 31, 2013 – as captured by our friend on Google+ and Facebook, Thomas Wildoner. Thank you, Tom!
The Delta Aquarid meteor shower, which has been going on for some days now, has been mostly obliterated by the light of the bright moon. We’ve seen a few photos so far of this year’s Delta Aquarids, but not many.
But the year’s most exciting meteor shower for us in the Northern Hemisphere – the Perseid meteor shower – is still ahead of us.
And that is why this waning moon is such good news. By the time the Perseids peak, on the mornings of August 11-13, the moon will be back in the evening sky, leaving the peak meteor-watching hours of midnight to dawn free and clear.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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