I read on a website that watching for meteors is like fishing - you get out there, enjoy the wonder of nature all around you and if you are lucky you might just catch something.
After a miserable wet and windy day, conditions did clear up yesterday evening. I thought it was worth putting on my coat, grabbing a blanket and taking a chair outside to see if there was anything remaining of the Geminid meteor activity.
The sky didn't have the sort of inky blackness that you can lose yourself in. Streetlights, Xmas lights and most annoyingly, the garish illuminated Lidl sign that is just on the other side of the hedge at the bottom of my garden, all contributed to the light pollution. As well as that, a light smudge of thin cloud appeared and disappeared and reappeared to confuse the eye and spoil the effect of falling into eternity.
However, the air was crisp and fresh and with my hands wrapped around a hot mug of coffee and my head supported against my husband (doing his best Indiana Jones impression with his choice of headwear to conserve body heat), it was lovely.
As the website suggested, I did get out there, I did enjoy the wonder of nature (especially the nature that produced the coffee beans destined for my cup) and I did catch something.
Most of my catches were the little tiddlers of the cosmos... the sort of shooting star where you are not quite sure if you saw it or if it was your mind playing tricks. Some were aeroplanes, which can actually be quite beautiful as they traverse the backdrop of endless darkness punctuated with pin pricks of light. But twice - twice - I witnessed a meteor streak across the night sky leaving a blazing trail that although lasted but a moment, will remain clear in my memory. Magical.
Definitely worth getting cold toes for.
Showing posts with label meteor shower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meteor shower. Show all posts
Saturday, 15 December 2012
Monday, 10 December 2012
The Geminid Meteor Shower
So Patrick Moore has died.
He visited my school once, back when I was a 'trying to be nonchalant and cool' teenager. I spared him a glance out of the common room window but did not make any more effort than that to see him. I wish I had. A legend of a man.
The reason for the visit was that my school was named after the astronomer William Herschel whose claim to fame (apart from living in Slough where I grew up) was that he discovered Uranus. This discovery, of course, generated much mirth amongst the sniggering pupils. If I remember correctly, a camera crew came too to capture some footage for a Sky at Night documentary about the William Herschel telescope. I don't remember ever watching the programme when it was broadcast or if indeed any of the footage was used in it.
I have always loved looking up at the stars and imagined that I would find it fascinating with the aid of a telescope. I was delighted when my first husband gave me a telescope one Christmas. I thought it was a thing of great beauty. Now I don't know if it wasn't set up right or if I was just completely incompetent but I could never manage to focus on anything in particular. Apart from the moon. There was a special lens for viewing the moon and it was amazing. But there are only so many times you can look at the moon and standing outside with a bulky piece of equipment that needed to be moved about and stored safely lost its appeal quickly. My star gazing reverted to being with the naked eye and my telescope was packed away and left to gather dust.
I still have the telescope and maybe one day I will find the enthusiasm to unpack it. If I wasn't so busy with Christmas related things, that day could well be now as an astronomical event is about to happen. That event is the annual Geminid Meteor Shower.
The Geminids should be at their peak on the evening of 13th December and coinciding with new moon to give a dark sky, it could be a spectacular show (providing there is no cloud cover of course!).
He visited my school once, back when I was a 'trying to be nonchalant and cool' teenager. I spared him a glance out of the common room window but did not make any more effort than that to see him. I wish I had. A legend of a man.
The reason for the visit was that my school was named after the astronomer William Herschel whose claim to fame (apart from living in Slough where I grew up) was that he discovered Uranus. This discovery, of course, generated much mirth amongst the sniggering pupils. If I remember correctly, a camera crew came too to capture some footage for a Sky at Night documentary about the William Herschel telescope. I don't remember ever watching the programme when it was broadcast or if indeed any of the footage was used in it.
I have always loved looking up at the stars and imagined that I would find it fascinating with the aid of a telescope. I was delighted when my first husband gave me a telescope one Christmas. I thought it was a thing of great beauty. Now I don't know if it wasn't set up right or if I was just completely incompetent but I could never manage to focus on anything in particular. Apart from the moon. There was a special lens for viewing the moon and it was amazing. But there are only so many times you can look at the moon and standing outside with a bulky piece of equipment that needed to be moved about and stored safely lost its appeal quickly. My star gazing reverted to being with the naked eye and my telescope was packed away and left to gather dust.
I still have the telescope and maybe one day I will find the enthusiasm to unpack it. If I wasn't so busy with Christmas related things, that day could well be now as an astronomical event is about to happen. That event is the annual Geminid Meteor Shower.
The Geminids should be at their peak on the evening of 13th December and coinciding with new moon to give a dark sky, it could be a spectacular show (providing there is no cloud cover of course!).
Weather permitting, I will definitely be outside wrapped up warm in winter clothes and a duvet, either on a reclining garden chair or a well insulted ground cover on the lawn. For a festive touch I am planning on supplies of warm mince pies and mulled wine. I might even let my mind wander to thoughts of that first Christmas and the star that appeared over Bethlehem to guide the wise men.
Fingers crossed for a clear night!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
