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November 18, 2001

Meteor shower

Living in the city darkness has a relative measure. Dark in the city is really light compared to the definition of dark. I know this because last night I tried to find somewhere in Seattle that was dark. This, I discovered, was nearly impossible. Every street on Queen Anne has either street lights or house lights that are way bright. Schoolyards I thought would be dark, but they light up the entrances with flood lights. Even along the southwest drive that overlooks Elliott Bay these funny globe lights are spaced every twenty feet. I finally went to Queen Anne Bowl and found darkness. There was still the street lights and a couple flood lights nearby but you could actually allow your eyes to adjust and focus on the stars.
Why was I searching for darkness? Only to better see the light...the light of the Leonid Storm. It was a treat. I have seen better views of the night sky, while hiking or vacationing at Lake Chelan - places that don't have a lot of light pollution and places it is peaceful and safe to lie on your back for hours watching the stars. However, I have never seen the intensity and quantity of meteors that I saw last night. There were a couple that burned streaks in the sky that lasted 2 seconds. There were others that felt close, streaking from one side of the sky to the other with a bright flash. I had heard conflicting reports that said to look at the Southeast sky and another that said the northeast sky. I think I saw most of them straight above me, maybe a bit south. I think I saw a hundred or so. It was cold and I didn't stay out long. I spent most of my time between 1:45 and 3:00 am looking for a good place to get a view. Very much worth it. Now I am tired.

Posted by clappstar at November 18, 2001 02:22 PM

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