Resources for Observers
Want to observe the moon for impact flashes?
Frequently Asked Questions
Minimum System Requirements
LunarScan Detection Software v1.5
NASA Observing Schedule
The table below shows the planned observing times for NASA’s Lunar Impact Monitoring Program based upon the viewing geometry from Huntsville, Alabama, USA (CST/CDT). Observations of the un-illuminated portion of the moon are conducted when sunlight illuminates 10 to 50% of the moon’s Earth-facing surface. Observations are further constrained by the times of moon rise/set and twilight. Note as of 2013: Observations take place primarily during meteor showers.
Table Description
Column 1: Month.
Column 2: Day. The two numbers given are the dates for the evening and the morning, local time. For evening apparitions the first date applies, for morning ones the second number applies. Both are given because the times for moonrise or moonset may cross local midnight during a given group of observations.
Columns 3-4: The times (12-hr clock in CST or CDT) of moonrise/moonset and nautical twilight are given for Huntsville, Alabama.
To observe from your location: These times can be used to approximate observation times in your time zone but they will be a few minutes different depending on your latitude and longitude difference from the meridian of your time zone.
To correlate possible impact flashes in your data to flash candidates listed by the Lunar Impact Monitoring Program: At the time you detect the flash you need to make sure the moon was still visible from Huntsville, Alabama, USA. (It may be best to convert all times to UT; flash candidates are listed in UT.)
Column 5: The lunar phase is shown as the fractional illumination where 0.0 is new moon, 0.5 is first or last quarter, and 1.0 is full moon. Observations occur between 0.1 and 0.5, however glare can be a problem near 0.5 illumination. This value is computed at 8:00pm Central Time for evening observation periods and 2:00am for morning observations.
2018
Additional Links
Huntsville Clear Sky Chart
National Weather Service – Huntsville
GOES Satellite Imagery Products
AirSports Net Satellite Images