Sky Watch

Laying on one's back at the top of the hill gazing up at the myriads of specks of light sprinkled all over the sky can be so peaceful, yet at the same time a little disconcerting. The sky is beautiful on a crisp, clear night. Stars, meteors, satellites, and even the blinking airplanes fill the vast space with interest. Each constellation tells story of its own that has been passed down from generation to generation since antiquity. There is such beauty and history etched all over the sky that it enchants the on-looker over and over again. Yet, it is an eye-opener in more ways than just that. Staring up into the atmosphere gives one a sense of just how small that person is. One begins to imagine being just a small member of a town, which is just a small part of a country, which in turn is just a small piece of the world, which is just one small planet among those orbiting a relatively small and insignificant star in a single galaxy in a neverending universe. When a person is put into a perspective like that, they can't help but be awed.

Tomorrow morning, Friday, August 12, there will be a great opportunity for doing a little sky watching as the heavens put on a show. The 2005 showing of the Perseid meteor shower will be visible around 2 o'clock tomorrow morning and run until just around sunrise. Unfortunately, we may be scheduled for a little rain shower so the view here may be obscured by clouds. For those who are able to see the show, it comes with the bonus feature of a preview of the upcoming Mars blockbuster, which should be at its height on October 30 when it comes close to Earth. Happy sky watching!