The Perseids

"After his death, Perseus was made immortal and put among the stars."

The other night I saw the Perseids meteor shower.  It has been the closest thing I've seen to space weather.  It has been the closest thing celestial I've ever seen on "earth" and it was probably still about 85 km away.  God only knows how I'd like to see the Aurora Borealis (100km.)

At around 2 o'clock when the moon had set, nearly full and very red in the west, the meteors began.  I must have seen nearly twenty in three hours.  It was wonderful. I tired to take a picture of the sky early in the evening, not for documentation or any aesthetic reason, but just for proprieties sake.  It was as black as the background of this page.  It was lovely.  

The Persieds is the result of the Swift-Tuttle comet, which one day, not in this millennium, is suspected to crash into either this planet or it's moon.  Every year we pass through it's debris.   Every summer, in the middle of August, it has its peak and there is a meteor nearly every minute of the hour all morning long.  Isn't that wonderful sounding?

I also saw an old friend the other night.  Not my oldest, but as old as many of them get.  I hadn't seen her what felt like a very long time.  We spent the early morning together watching what meteors we could.  That was quite lovely too.  I'm glad she's interested in things I find interesting too.  It's nice to be able to watch hours of briefly appearing meteors on a brisk morning with someone.  It's nice too when you can talk about books and stuff with someone and they get your stupid poetry jokes.  She's the type of woman I'd like to think I'd have been if things had started differently for me; or the type of girl I could see myself having someday.  I haven't a bad memory about her though I do remember a few bad times we've had.  Sometimes getting older feels nice.

The Perseids is going to last a long time.  A very long time.  It's already lasted a very long time.  It's going to be around when we are not.  We're going to be able to see it ever year for many years- show our children it you know?  Or they can stay up late and see it themselves like we did.  I like that too.

We can't screw it up.  We can't, it isn't very possible.  Even with all the light pollution I still saw it.  It's there for good, which is a nice thought, because not everything will always be.  Every memory I have of her now is of laughter, and that most of all is very nice.

cml