Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Lyrid meteor in 2013

Meteors aren't usually my thing since they normally peak in the wee hours but we are keeping our 2year old great grandson Tristan this week and he has no sleep schedule whatever. I woke up about three and decided to give it a shot. The moon was fairly low in the west and it was clear if a bit hazy. I bundled up against the cold 36 degrees and settled in for the show. It was absolutely still and quiet outside, unlike the occasional bellowing of a 2 year old boy inside! An owl briefly asked 'who cooks for you?' at one point but otherwise very quiet. But no meteors. Lyra and the sumner triangle were coming up in the east making promises of warm nights to come but I didn't believe a word of it. It was COLD. No wind saved my hide though. Then, about 3:30 it happened. ZIP. Right out of Vega about 20 degrees to the west and about 20 degrees long, a beautiful Lyrid meteor trail headed right for Draco's head. That was it for the night though. I packed in for the night and crawled back into bed while our little angel got a bit of rest himself.

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