AMS News

The American Meteor Society has received over 125 witness reports about a large fireball spotted over central texas. Click the map below for an interactive witness map for this event. After the map loads, click the icons for the people to see… Read More >

The American Meteor Society is pleased to accept a commemorative plaque celebrating our centennial from the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) . Special thanks from the AMS to AAVSO director Arne Henden and all AAVSO members. Here is a… Read More >

February offers the meteor observer in the northern hemisphere a couple of weak showers plus falling sporadic rates. This may not seem too exiting but you never know when surprises are in store. An errant earthgrazer from the Centaurid complex… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Monday January 23rd. At this time the moon will be located near the sun and will not be visible at night. This will be the best time of the month… Read More >

The 2012 Meteor Shower List is presented in four separate parts. The showers are broken down by intensity with major, minor, variable, and weak showers being separated into their own groups. The general public and news agencies are encouraged to… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches it full phase on Monday January 9th. At this time the moon will be located opposite the sun and will be above the horizon the entire night. This is the worst time to try… Read More >

The American Meteor Society has so far received approximately 50 reports of a bright fireball over much of the southwestern states of the USA,  from Colorado to California.  Most of the reports have come from Arizona and New Mexico. This… Read More >

January is best known for the Quadrantids, which have the potential of being the best shower of the year. Unfortunately this shower is short lived and occurs during some of the worst weather in the northern hemisphere. Due to the… Read More >

The next major shower will be the Quadrantids, which are predicted to peak near 07:30 Universal Time on January 4, 2012. This timing favors North America with local peak times ranging from 02:30am EST on January 4th to 11:30 PST… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches it new phase on Saturday December 24th. At this time the moon will be located near the sun and will be invisible at night. As the week progresses the waxing crescent moon will enter… Read More >

The Ursids are an obscure shower that is active for a week prior to Christmas. This shower is listed among the annual major showers as its ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rate) averages ten shower members per hour. Actual rates can be… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches it last quarter phase on Sunday December 18th. The half illuminated moon is still very bright and must be kept out of your field of view for successful meteor observations. During this period, the… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Saturday December 10th. At this time the moon will lie above the horizon the entire night and will severely impact meteor observing by obscuring all but the brightest meteors. As… Read More >

The American Meteor Society has so far received approximately 50 reports of a dazzling fireball over much of the eastern half of the USA, stretching all the way from South Carolina to Wisconsin.  Most of the reports have come from… Read More >

No matter where you live, the first half of December provides some of the best meteor activity of the year. Unfortunately in 2011, the moon will spoil much of this activity as I reaches its full phase on the 10th.… Read More >

The Geminid meteor shower normally provides the strongest display of meteor activity each year. Unfortunately, this year, like many of the other major annual showers, the Geminids will be compromised by a bright moon. Activity from this source may be… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Friday December 2nd. At that time the moon will lie ninety degrees east of the sun and will set near midnight local standard time (LST) for observers situated at… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Thursday November 25th. At that time the moon will lie near the sun and will not be visible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will be a nuisance… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Thursday November 10th. At this time the moon will lie opposite of the sun and will be present in the sky all night long. This will be the worse time… Read More >

As seen from the northern hemisphere, meteor rates continue to be strong in November. While no major activity is expected this month, the two Taurid radiants plus the Leonids keep the skies active. The addition of strong sporadic rates make… Read More >

The American Meteor Society has so far received approximately 25 reports of a dazzling fireball over the southeastern USA including Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas.  This event occurred near 7:20pm EDT Monday evening October 24th. Of the reports received so far,… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Wednesday October 26th. At this time the moon will lie near the sun and will be invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the late… Read More >

The Orionids are best known as being one of two meteor showers associated with Halley’s Comet. This shower is active throughout October and the first week of November. A plateau of maximum activity is reached for several nights centered on… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Thursday October 20th. At this time the moon will lie ninety degrees west of the sun and will rise near midnight local daylight time (LDT). This weekend the waning… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Wednesday October 12th. At this time the moon will lie opposite of the sun and will be in the sky all night long. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will… Read More >

The American Meteor Society has so far received approximately 50 reports of a dazzling fireball over the southeastern USA including Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.   This event occurred near 8:40pm EDT (7:40pm CDT) Thursday evening October 6th. Of the reports… Read More >

Meteor activity in general increases in October when compared to September. A major shower (the Orionids) is active most of the month along with many minor showers. Both branches of the Taurids become more active as the month progresses, providing… Read More >

The Draconids are a meteor shower of short duration, active from October 6-10 every year. Normally only a small number of meteors are seen from this source each year. Occasionally the Earth passes close to one of the trails created… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Tuesday September 27th. At this time the moon will lie near the sun and will not be visible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the… Read More >

The American Meteor Society has received over 100 fireball reports so far regarding a large fireball seen last night in the south west United States. Here is a video of the fireball that was submitted to the AMS website: Here’s a map… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Tuesday September 20th. At this time the moon will lie ninety degrees west of the sun and will rise near 0100 local daylight time (LDT) as seen from mid-northern… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Monday September 12th. At this time the moon will lie opposite the sun and will be in the sky all night long. This is the worst time to try and… Read More >

September offers longer nights in the northern hemisphere that tend to be less hazy than those experienced in mid-summer. In the sky, no major showers are visible from either hemisphere but the northern hemisphere enjoys the advantage of higher sporadic… Read More >

The American Meteor Society has received several reports of a rare daylight fireball over the state of Minnesota, plus southern Manitoba, and western Ontario.   This event occurred near 5:15pm CDT Saturday afternoon August 27th. Of the half dozen reports received so… Read More >

The American Meteor Society has received numerous reports of a very bright fireball over the states of Washington and Oregon,  occurring near 11:10pm PDT Friday evening August 26th. Of the two dozen reports received so far, yellow was the most mentioned color. The average brightness… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Monday August 29th. At this time the moon will lie near the sun and will not be visible at night. Next week the waxing crescent moon will enter the evening… Read More >

The American Meteor Society has received reports of a very bright fireball over the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, plus southern Manitoba, Canada,  occurring near 9:30pm CDT (8:30pm MDT)  Tuesday evening August 23rd. Of the two dozen reports received so far, blue and green are… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Sunday August 21st. At this time the moon will lie ninety degrees west of the sun and will set near midnight local daylight time (LDT) for observers located in… Read More >

Bill Cooke of the NASA Meteoroid Environments Office sent the AMS an alert today about a recent fireball event in Ohio. This event was captured on the University of Western Ontario’s fireball network and might have also been caught on doppler… Read More >

The American Meteor Society has received nearly 30 reports of a bright fireball occurring over Florida between 1030-1100pm EDT on August 11. There is a wide discrepancy in the reports so it is currently difficult to state the source of… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Saturday August 13th. At this time the moon will lie opposite the sun in the sky and will be above the horizon all night long.  Next week the waning gibbous… Read More >

During this period the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Saturday August 6th. At this time the moon will lie ninety degrees east of the sun and will set near 0100 local daylight time (LDT) for observers located in… Read More >