^{* (Not my photo)}
2012 Perseid Meteor Shower

Shortly after midnight I popped out the back door to check the temperature and gauge the darkness. Almost immediately a big bright meteor blazed downwards across the sky – a very good sign!

An hour later we hopped in the car with the kids and drove to Burnaby Mountain, obviously not alone in the idea, as there were cars lined up along the side of the road up. We picked a spot in a big, grassy field near the top, spread out a thick blanket, and lay back to watch the show, which was fantastic, if a little hindered by other people’s headlights from time to time.

We stayed out there until close to 2:30 in the morning and saw some wonderful meteors, recognized several constellations, found a couple of satellites – it was nice to just lie on the ground together and stare at the night sky. Every now and then something particularly dramatic would fall and you could hear collective “oooohs” from unseen people in the same area.

After an hour or so we headed back home, where again, the view wasn’t half bad. By that time the crescent moon had risen brightly and was hanging out with Jupiter, Venus and a somewhat embarrassed Aldebaran. Very, very pretty.

M. and I stayed up, heading out to stare at the quiet sky from time to time (there were stars falling every time) until close to 5AM when the early morning hay was finally hit.

Next time we’ll aim to find a lonelier viewing spot (further out of town perhaps) but it was certainly a very memorable night for everyone – worth the price of a few dreams.

^{I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night – (Perseids entry from 5 years ago)}9 months ago

For two years in a row I have wanted to watch the Perseid meteor shower. In 2009, I was in Peru, Maine. It’s a great place to watch the stars, because there are no significant cities for miles and not even streetlights where I was. I watched for a little while, but no one really wanted to come out and lay in the grass with me, and at that hour of the night one starts longing for one’s bed, especially with no one to keep one company. This year (2010), a friend, my sister and I went up on the grassy hill behind our house and watched for a while, but it was a bit early and then clouds came in, making it impossible to see. I think I saw one or two shooting stars though.

Someday, I want to stay up all night watching the Perseids and then see the sun rise. This is another thing I’d like to do with someone else – nights watching stars can get lonely, you see. 2 years ago