Lunacy in August on the AAS Wall Calendar

If you're a fan of the annual Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on the night of 11-12 August, you might be excited by the new Moon shown on 10 August in the 2014 AAS Wall Calendar. After all, it implies dark skies all night, making for prime meteor-watching conditions.

Sadly, though, the 10 August new Moon is a misprint. The symbol for a full Moon should be shown on that date instead. In fact, the Perseids will occur this year in full moonlight, which will wash out all but the brightest meteors.

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We apologize for the error and look forward to next year's Perseid shower, which really will occur without interference from moonlight (new Moon occurs on 14 August 2015).