August 11-16, 2024: The evening moon waxes into the gibbous phase, passing the First Quarter mark on the 12th. The moon sets early enough to see the Perseid meteor shower peak.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Look for the Evening Moon
The evening moon appears in the southern sky during the early evening hours. The Perseid meteor shower peaks during these nights. The moon sets early enough to see the shower’s prime performance before morning twilight begins.
Here’s what to look for an hour after sunset:
- August 11: The moon, 45% illuminated, is less than 20° up in the southwest. It is 4.6° to Zubenelgenubi’s lower right. The star is the southern claw in the classic Scorpion. Moonset occurs about three hours after sundown and about an hour after the end of evening twilight. Without moonlight, now bright enough to light up the ground and cast terrestrial feature’s shadows, a window is available to view the Perseid meteor shower’s peak before the beginning of morning twilight tomorrow. The shower peaks after sunrise in the Americas.
- August 12: The moon reaches First Quarter phase at 10:20 a.m. Central Time. After sundown, the lunar orb, is less than 20° up in the south-southwest. It is over 10° to Zubenelgenubi’s lower left and 7.6° to Dschubba’s lower right, the Scorpion’s crown or forehead. Setting 3 hours, 30 minutes after nightfall, Perseids can be seen after midnight and before the beginning of morning twilight, less than two hours before daybreak.
- August 13: The gibbous moon, 64% illuminated, is low in the south-southwest, 2.0° to Antares’ lower right, Scorpius’ brightest star. The moon occults or eclipses the star for sky watchers in southern South America. Moonset occurs over four hours after nightfall, leaving a window to observe the decreasing number of Perseids before the onset of morning twilight.
- August 14: The gibbous moon, 74% illuminated, is about 20° above the southern horizon after nightfall. Now in front of Ophiuchus, the lunar orb is over 10° to Antares’ lower left and above Shaula and Lesath at the Scorpion’s stinger. In this bright moonlight, use a binocular to spot the dimmer stars. Moonset occurs nearly 5 hours after sundown.
- August 15: The bright moon, 83% illuminated, is less than 20° up in the south and in front of Sagittarius’ dimmer stars. It is near the Teapot’s spout. The shape is the modern nickname for the Archer’s brightest stars. Moonset occurs six hours before sunrise.
- August 16: The bright gibbous moon, 90% illuminated, is over 15° above the south-southeast horizon, to the Teapot’s lower left. The moon occults or eclipses Tau Sagittarii (τ Sgr on the chart) for sky watchers in southern Africa and Madagascar. Moonset occurs less than five hours before daybreak.
Watch the moon wax during the week. It sets early enough to monitor the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower.
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