I saw two shooting stars tonight!
It's the annual Perseid Meteor Shower every August. The peak of the shower is actually occurring right now as I type this. (Sorry that I forgot to mention this news earlier.) And so at 2:15 am this morning (jetlag still?), I walked out onto our backyard deck and looked up for only a few minutes. And lo and behold, in the first two minutes, I saw two bright streaks.
Quite unfortunately for this year, the moon is close to full and is polluting the skies with excess light and limiting the number of shooting stars to be seen. Nevertheless, the brightest of the Perseids are still visible and shouldn't disappoint with their long streaks. Technically, you should be able to see about one every minute, more or less. (Note, stay very well tuned for next year: it's a new moon (i.e., no moon) and the skies will be dark dark dark for a great show!)
So go on. Tomorrow night, get out there. Bring a blanket, bring a beer, lay back and be very patient.
Space is soooo beautiful.
***
More info:
http://www.jackstargazer.com/scripts0SG0632.html
http://www.jupiterscientific.org/sciinfo/perseid.html
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