Sunday, August 12, 2007
This year I actually saw one
Two, actually - Perseid meteors. And this in the city, with lots of light pollution, and not even on the peak night, which is tonight. I couldn't sleep, decided to see if I could see anything, and risked West Nile virus from the backyard mosquitos. Sure enough, after about 10 minutes of letting my eyes get used to it, one streaked for maybe 5-10 degrees of arc overhead, then 10 minutes later, a slightly shorter one. Then I went back to bed.
They're certainly not Lucasfilm special effects, but they have this, to me, overwhelmingly greater dramatic element: they're real. These are actual chunks of an ancient comet that are burning up in our very own atmosphere.
They're certainly not Lucasfilm special effects, but they have this, to me, overwhelmingly greater dramatic element: they're real. These are actual chunks of an ancient comet that are burning up in our very own atmosphere.
