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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Big Meteor Shower Tonight

Big Meteor Shower Tonight

by Betty Cracker|  May 23, 20144:42 pm| 82 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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If you’re in North America, there’s supposed to be quite a show in the sky between 2 AM and 4 AM ET. Via Vox:

Starting at around 2 a.m. EDT, the Earth will pass through a stream of rocks and dust emitted by a recently-discovered comet. This debris won’t pose any danger — because it will burn up as it enters our atmosphere — but it’s projected to produce somewhere between 100 and 400 meteors per hour.

This is way more than most meteor showers, but it’s only a projection, not a guarantee — and it still only works out to between 1 and 6 meteors per minute. So don’t head outside with the expectation of seeing a meteor immediately.

The best way to see the shower is to head outside, try to find a relatively dark area, lay out on the ground or take a seat, let your eyes adjust, and take in the wonder that is our planet passing through a cloud of burning cosmic dust.

Anyone going to watch? I almost certainly will. I saw a great Perseid meteor shower ages ago — can’t remember the exact year, but more than 10 years ago. I’ve never seen any meteor event since that was its equal.

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Reader Interactions

82Comments

  1. 1.

    raven

    May 23, 2014 at 4:46 pm

    I dunno, I bought one of them doohickey’s that keeps the shutter open.

  2. 2.

    Pogonip

    May 23, 2014 at 4:50 pm

    Betty, that should be between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., 0200-0400. Not between 2 a.m. and 4 p.m.

  3. 3.

    Ferdzy

    May 23, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    Yeah, I might pop out for 10 minutes or so in the middle of the night. I’m usually up at least once, if not twice, so might as well take in a show as well. And for once, the skies look like they will be reasonably clear. Usually, interesting astronomical etc events coincide with 3 days of rain.

  4. 4.

    Betty Cracker

    May 23, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    @Pogonip: Right-o, and thank you! It would be hard to see at noon, wouldn’t it?

  5. 5.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 23, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    Yeah, I’ll be watching. Best meteor shower I ever saw (Perseids) was in the high Guads in southeast NM. I had spent a week under ground which had my sleep patterns all messed up. So at 2 am I gave up trying to sleep, made some hot chocolate and went out to look at the desert stars. Almost immediately they were everywhere. One left a glowing trail across a third of the sky. I had forgotten all about them.

  6. 6.

    gbear

    May 23, 2014 at 5:06 pm

    If I want to see it, I’ll have to get up, get dressed and drive somewhere out of the city. Too much residual light around my house.

    I’ve spent the entire week passing though a cloud of burning cosmic dust – otherwise referred to as ‘work’.

  7. 7.

    jl

    May 23, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    I won’t have time to drive out from under local marine layer, so probably will skip it. I’ll look for a time lapse or something on the youtube.

  8. 8.

    Keith G

    May 23, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    Let’s see, I go to work at 5 tomorrow morning. So, the timing is good. Unfortunately, I live and work in the dead center of the fourth largest city in the US. – tall buildings and bright light.

    A few years ago, I drove out with a friend (and a late night pick nick basket) to watch the Orionids. It took a 100 mile round trip, and actually we should have gone farther.

    Sometimes, I really miss farm country.

  9. 9.

    raven

    May 23, 2014 at 5:08 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly: I was driving from Phoenix to Tucson once when a big one hit!

  10. 10.

    Fair Economist

    May 23, 2014 at 5:09 pm

    I saw the Leonid storm in 2003 (IIRC) and ooh, what a show. At some points I was seeing a meteor a second. Also the Leonid fireball shower in 1998 (also IIRC) – an ordinary shower rate, *except* almost every meteor was a fireball comparable to Venus. Only problem is now I’m spoiled for ordinary showers. Greater LA has horrible light pollution and I have to drive about 2 hours for a good view, and I just can’t arrange for it this time.

  11. 11.

    BGinCHI

    May 23, 2014 at 5:09 pm

    Up at 6 for a group ride. The irony is it will be too light to see anything but I have to get up too early to stay up that late.

  12. 12.

    ranchandsyrup

    May 23, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    Date night tonight so I’ll drunkenly watch it with my wifey.

  13. 13.

    BGinCHI

    May 23, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    @ranchandsyrup: Have you tried Joia sodas? Check out the flavors.

    http://www.joialife.com/products/

    As a mixer with vodka it’s my summer favorite and it’s not even summer yet. You are welcome.

  14. 14.

    dr. fancypants

    May 23, 2014 at 5:24 pm

    I saw a great Perseid meteor shower ages ago — can’t remember the exact year, but more than 10 years ago.

    Pretty sure I saw those Perseids too–I still remember it as the first time I ever heard a meteor.

  15. 15.

    ranchandsyrup

    May 23, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    @BGinCHI: those look farging delicious and interesting. Thanks I now have a mission for the weekend.

  16. 16.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    May 23, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    Many folk here have been calling for ‘the meteor”; I guess they arrive tonight.

  17. 17.

    Trollhattan

    May 23, 2014 at 5:38 pm

    Between murky atmosphere and city lighting, meteor-watching is not much of a pursuit, at least at the casa. Always wanted to catch one while camping at 10+k feet–might still could happen, someday.

    Attention pedestrians, especially Florida pedestrians: LOOK OUT!

    The Sacramento-Arden Arcade-Roseville population areas came in at No. 23 in a “pedestrian danger index” from Smart Growth America. The region received a score of 81 in the ranking. That’s still much better than the worst region: Orlando-Kissimme, Fla., which earned an index score of 244.

    Communities, especially those in the Sunbelt South, top the list of most dangerous communities. They grew in the post-World War II period and feature many low-density neighborhoods with wider streets and higher speeds.Top 25 most-dangerous metro areas in the U.S, ranked by Pedestrian Danger Index:

    1. Orlando
    2. Tampa
    3. Jacksonville
    4. Miami
    5. Memphis
    6. Birmingham, Ala.
    7. Houston
    8. Atlanta
    9. Phoenix
    10. Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N. C-S.C
    11. Detroit
    12. Dallas
    13. Las Vegas
    14. Riverside
    15. Nashville
    16. Raleigh-Cary N.C.
    17. Louisville
    18. San Antonio
    19. Richmond, Va.
    20. Oklahoma City
    21. Kansas City, Mo.-Kan.
    22. New Orleans
    23. Sacramento-Arden Arcade-Roseville
    24. Austin
    25. Indianapolis

    http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/23/6427592/sacramento-ranked-among-25-most.html#storylink=cpy

  18. 18.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    May 23, 2014 at 5:38 pm

    I camped out in Colorado one summer night near Keystone during a meteor shower and it was one of the most memorable sights of my lifetime. Fucking crazy. You could not stray from the fire for too long, though, because it was COLD. My coworker was a super hippie and she was all about it and introduced me to Port the same night. My wife and I sat in our driveway in western NY several summers ago and watched another meteor shower. We saw more then a hundred for sure. Good times. Good times.

  19. 19.

    ? Martin

    May 23, 2014 at 5:39 pm

    Phew. At first I thought Cole got arrested, and then realized there was no mention of a mop.

  20. 20.

    MikeJ

    May 23, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    What’s everyone so worked up about? So there’s a meteor shower — big deal. It’ll burn up in our atmosphere and whatever’s left will be no bigger than a chihuahua’s head.

  21. 21.

    MikeJ

    May 23, 2014 at 5:47 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    As a mixer with vodka it’s my summer favorite and it’s not even summer yet

    Don’t forget turkey & gravy flavored Jones soda.

    I don’t know what the 12th man soda tastes like. Skittles? Looks like all of their interesting flavors have been retired though. Too bad.

    http://www.jonessoda.com/beverages.html

  22. 22.

    Poopyman

    May 23, 2014 at 5:48 pm

    Also FYI, the radiant is in the north, quite close to Polaris. Meteors in the shower will look like they originated from this point even if they start and end pretty far from the Celestial North Pole. Bottom line is that it’ll be best to face north, but the best meteors will probably be passing overhead or close to it.

  23. 23.

    Mnemosyne

    May 23, 2014 at 5:48 pm

    @MikeJ:

    “Do you know what this means? Dad was right!”

    “I know, kids. I’m scared, too.”

  24. 24.

    piratedan

    May 23, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    can always hope that one gets through and takes out someone like Louie Gohmert or Virginia Foxx.

  25. 25.

    WereBear

    May 23, 2014 at 6:00 pm

    We have low light pollution. Lots of clear sky nights. Yet every time there’s an astronomy event… it’s overcast.

  26. 26.

    sparrow

    May 23, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    I might check this out on the way back from a barbeque in the boonies (coworkers who live in the exurbs, ugh).

    Fortunately, SO is driving, because this sparrow is already +4

    As an astronomer, I have to admit to being hard to impress in astronomical events. I hope it’s good.

  27. 27.

    Violet

    May 23, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    Was stuck in jury duty today. In the jury room they had the TVs tuned to CNN. All morning long we had the same stories looping with different talking head hosts telling us about them. The volume was turned up too. Couldn’t escape it.

    When we came back from lunch it was still all CNN. About an hour into that, a story on Sterling or maybe the VA came on for the nth time and a woman a few rows up from me hollers at the clerk, “Can’t we watch something besides CNN?” And about half the room chimes in: “It’s the same three stories on a loop!” “It’s terrible!” “What do you expect–it’s CNN!” The clerk changed the channel and we got to watch HGTV after that. Not a huge improvement but at least a change.

    The bit that left people incredulous and made the woman ask for the channel to be changed was the CNN next segment teaser about the electric chair possibly being used again: “Is electrocution painful?” Laughably awful. About half the jury room laughed and shook their heads. Pathetic excuse for a news organization.

  28. 28.

    Baud

    May 23, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    @Violet:

    So who the hell is CNN marketing to, if not these people?

  29. 29.

    Violet

    May 23, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    @Baud: No idea. I mean, it’s a jury room. It’s a cross-section of the community by design and it was a real mix of ages and races and genders–all adults of course, no kids.

    Once the woman shouted out asking if we could PLEASE watch something else, the buzz around how horrible CNN is was really loud. Everyone seemed to hate CNN. That progressed into a discussion about how terrible our media is. Kind of interesting given the varying types of people in the room.

  30. 30.

    Roxy

    May 23, 2014 at 6:21 pm

    We will be covered with fog. Summer pattern is starting here in the SF Bay Area. Day of the Triffids anyone ;)

  31. 31.

    Ruckus

    May 23, 2014 at 6:22 pm

    @Baud:
    Alzheimer’s victims? They won’t remember the story or the loops.
    And yes I know that is probably in poor taste. But I’ve buried both parents with Alzheimer’s. It’s not that you want/like to laugh about it, you have to laugh a little or you’ll run screaming into traffic.

  32. 32.

    shelley

    May 23, 2014 at 6:22 pm

    If we can believe Hollywood-

    Meteors + a black President = Not good!

  33. 33.

    Trollhattan

    May 23, 2014 at 6:23 pm

    Oh, bother.

    “Westlands Water District expresses its great appreciation for the hard work of Senator Feinstein and her colleagues in obtaining passage of this legislation. We look forward to working with Senator Feinstein and Members of the House in their efforts to reconcile this legislation with legislation that has already passed in the House. It is Westlands’ hope that this process can begin quickly, and we are confident that Senator Feinstein and her colleagues in the House will be able to identify common sense solutions that will restore water supplies, while providing reasonable protections for fish. The tens-of-thousands of people who otherwise will be unemployed and the welfare of people around the state depend on a meaningful compromise being reached quickly.”

    http://mavensnotebook.com/2014/05/23/the-nrdc-westlands-water-and-western-growers-association-react-to-passage-of-feinsteins-drought-legislation/

  34. 34.

    Ruckus

    May 23, 2014 at 6:26 pm

    @shelley:
    Like Hollywood has never tied two totally unrelated and completely nonsensical ideas together before.

  35. 35.

    Ruckus

    May 23, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    @Trollhattan:
    Are you trying to imply that Sen Feinstein gives a bigger shit about money than actually finding a workable solution to a problem?

  36. 36.

    jl

    May 23, 2014 at 6:34 pm

    @Trollhattan: How are the Westlands corporate farmers doing at paying back their federal loans and delinquent water fees? Any progress on that front? If no, then they should pay up before they get a law passed for them.

    Edit: and, as per Dr. Carson, are they ashamed enough to deserve the aid?

  37. 37.

    ? Martin

    May 23, 2014 at 6:37 pm

    @Trollhattan: Well, 10 southern cities more dangerous than Detroit. Top 4 in Florida. And I suspect there’s no shortage of people down there who are proud of that ranking.

    Interesting that Disneyworld tops the most dangerous for pedestrians list.

  38. 38.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    May 23, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    Here in South Orange County the forecast is for scattered cloud becoming overcast late in the evening. Hopefully, “late” means after I’ve seen a few meteors. I’ll be up.

  39. 39.

    muddy

    May 23, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    @WereBear: You’re not that far from me, and I was going to make the same comment.

  40. 40.

    muddy

    May 23, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    @Violet: Last summer the waiting room for labs at the hospital kept having Foxnoise on loud. Remote was locked up. It was mounted up by the ceiling and had no buttons on it. I initially amused myself by replying to the tv in stern terms. By the 3rd trip in a week I got up on a chair and jerked the cord out. The next time it was on the Weather channel.

  41. 41.

    ranchandsyrup

    May 23, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    cloud cover forecast For tonight

  42. 42.

    NotMax

    May 23, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    Images of broken light
    Which dance before me like a million eyes
    They call me on and on across the universe

    Across the Universe

    Woke up this morning with light in my eyes
    And then realized it was still dark outside
    It was a light coming down from the sky
    I don’t know who or why

    Mr. Spaceman

  43. 43.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    May 23, 2014 at 6:44 pm

    @Trollhattan:

    I wish that I could forget the image of Feinstein and Condoleeza Rice walking arm in arm into Rice’s Senate confirmation hearing. Feinstein is an execrable piece of Republican shit surrounded by a thin, thin Democratic shell.

  44. 44.

    Betty Cracker

    May 23, 2014 at 6:45 pm

    @Fair Economist:Maybe that’s the one I saw (Leonids) rather than Perseid because it would have been 1998-ish (I remember briefly wondering if the baby would wake up while I was out looking) and it was like fireballs.

  45. 45.

    jl

    May 23, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    @Violet: Yes, I was exposed all day for several days to mass quantities of CNN ‘news’ while in waiting rooms a few weeks ago. I was in charge of transport and paper work for a family health issue (and everything went OK on that front).

    I noticed the same thing. Same three or four canned ‘news’ stories, some out of date and irrelevant to the actual real news (about which I was curious). They rotated the dingbat talking heads every couple of hours, who were all obviously coached to editorialize on the topics in a manner that would put CNN on the ‘right side of history’. Lots of bogus and misleading teasers to keep you tuned in, all of which lead to a rerun of a previous ‘news’ segment.

    The main entertainment value was when they had panels on. The guests often came on with different aspects or angles of the story to pitch, often they had little to do with each other, and the dingbat anchor did nothing to coordinate or focus the discussion, just let them yammer in turn. Once two guests commenting on the same story were talking about two completely unrelated aspects, and one of the guest just exploded in fury about her aspect, and the anchor turned to the other, who had been talking about a completely different aspect of the story, for a ‘response’. The guest just stared into the camera, and said that the other guest wasn’t talking about what she had been talking about and which was supposed to have been the planned topic of discussion. The anchor didn’t miss a beat and wrapped up the segment for a commercial.

    As soon as I got over my frustration, it was hilarious. I asked one of the people at one place if I could change the channel, and she said they liked to have CNN on because it was ‘so neutral’, but if I had something in mind, they would change the channel for me. But I was in the CNN groove by then and just enjoyed the show.

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    May 23, 2014 at 6:54 pm

    Later this night (3:30 a.m. Eastern) Muriel’s Wedding is airing on TCM.

    Little gem of a flick. Like most gems, has its flaws, but the facets are cut sharp.

    The name of the town depicted – Porpoise Spit, Australia – still raises a grin.

  47. 47.

    J R in WV

    May 23, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    We have a dark sky, living in the country, but it seems likely to be cloudy. I’ll be up and taking a look, tho, I lurves me some meteors!

    Once I saw a bolide come up from the horizon, split in two, then one of those split and the one that stayed whole then exploded… all of which defines a bolide meteor… kinda. We get to see more meteors than most people because we like to stay up late AND we live in the dark mostly.

    Just stepped outside, like lots of clear sky right now, AND the Barred Owls are hooting at each other, and when I hooted the best I can, they hooted back at me!!! I think they know I’m not an owl, but spoke to me out of politeness.

    Nature is so swell! Maybe the owl hootennany means there will be meteors tonight?!?!

  48. 48.

    David in NY

    May 23, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    OT, but personal plea. I’ve got this malware that’s making popups telling me to download stuff or I’ll die, and I can’t figure out how to get rid of it. Not that I’m any good at this stuff. I ask here because it’s managed to take over the blogads on BJ, replacing them with injunctions to Download –>, Play –>, not even suggesting what I’d be downloading or playing.

    I’ve only seen one (reputable) reference to this exact type of thing on a forum on bleepingcomputer.com (which captured my exact feelings), and expert was not familiar with it and the steps to figure out what it was seemed painful. (There are sites out there telling you, in imperfect English, to download a cure for it, but I fear the cure could be worse than the disease.)

    Any help, comments, consolation, welcome.

  49. 49.

    srv

    May 23, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    My Indian friends are all engaged in navel gazing at their offense towards religion and victory of wingnutty:

    “You English speaking secularists have been utterly coercive, making the majority feel ashamed of what was natural.” The comment, though brutal and devastating, was fair. I realised at that moment that liberals like myself may be guilty of something deeper.
    …
    Secularism cannot be empty space. It has to create a pluralism of encounters and allow for levels of reality and interpretation. Tolerance is a weak form of secularism. In confronting the election, we have to reinvent secularism not as an apologetic or disciplinary space but as a playful dialogue. Only then can we offer an alternative to the resentments that Mr. Modi has thrived on and mobilised. I take hope in the words of one of my favourite scientists, the Dalai Lama. When George Bush was waxing eloquent about Muslims, the Dalai Lama commented on George Bush by saying, “He brings out the Muslim in me.” I think that captures my secular ethic brilliantly and one hopes such insights become a part of our contentious democracy.

    You uppity, righteously arrogant athiest liberals need to learn a lesson here.

  50. 50.

    Roger Moore

    May 23, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    @Baud:

    So who the hell is CNN marketing to, if not these people?

    Maybe they’re marketing to those people but doing it incompetently. Incompetence is a good null hypothesis.

  51. 51.

    satby

    May 23, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    @WereBear: right there with you, very depressing since star watching is one of the few perks of living in the sticks. But it’s supposed to be decently clear here. Hope so. I saw my first meteor at age 56 after I moved here. Would like to see a few more.

  52. 52.

    srv

    May 23, 2014 at 7:06 pm

    @David in NY: I start here:

    http://helpspot.business.uconn.edu/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=12

    Another trick I found when something was so aggressive was to rename the malwarebytes executable to explorer.exe and start it. It runs at a higher priority and was able to defeat the malware.

  53. 53.

    Pogonip

    May 23, 2014 at 7:07 pm

    @dr. fancypants: What did it sound like?

  54. 54.

    satby

    May 23, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    @? Martin: Disneyland doesn’t, Orlando does. And if you’ve ever watched people dash across 4 lanes of non-stop traffic rather than taking the endless hike one block to a crosswalk with a traffic light, you wouldn’t be surprised.

  55. 55.

    Pogonip

    May 23, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    I would like to know why so many businesses feel they have to inflict TV upon waiting customers at all. Is it that far out of the realm of possibility that we might like to talk, read, write, or even, God forbid, think?

  56. 56.

    MikeJ

    May 23, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    @David in NY: On a different computer, burn a bootable CD/thumb drive with a reputable anti-malware program. Boot with that CD/thumb drive and let it do its thing.

  57. 57.

    Betty Cracker

    May 23, 2014 at 7:22 pm

    @NotMax: I love that movie! “Muriel, you’re TERRIBLE!”

  58. 58.

    muddy

    May 23, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    @Pogonip: My bank has one going behind the counter. This is not a place where you wait in line for more than 1 person. I don’t get/care for it.

  59. 59.

    Trollhattan

    May 23, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    @J R in WV:

    Stop making West Virginia sound great!!! [Hootdor!]

  60. 60.

    Roger Moore

    May 23, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    @satby:
    But somehow the people who live there will see the impracticality of walking anywhere as an inevitable thing like the weather rather than a result of deliberate policy decisions that could potentially be changed. Actually, given the popularity of air conditioning, they’re more likely to do something about the weather.

  61. 61.

    Roger Moore

    May 23, 2014 at 7:46 pm

    @Pogonip:

    I would like to know why so many businesses feel they have to inflict TV upon waiting customers at all.

    They do it under the belief that it makes waiting less annoying if there’s something to distract your attention. It probably would do that if it were quiet enough that you could do something else if you wanted and displaying something relaxing, like one of those demo disks that shows beautiful scenery from around the world. It’s the last bit about making sure that the TV is showing the right material that makes it obnoxious.

    FWIW, the TV in the waiting area that I visit most often- the area where you get your snacks and drinks after donating blood- tends to be left on the Food Network. That might even be a good idea if you’re trying to encourage people to eat after their donations.

  62. 62.

    Suffern ACE

    May 23, 2014 at 9:30 pm

    @srv: yep. But Modi hasn’t been in office yet, and already he’s done all these bad things. Funny that.

    It’s fun to blame the secularists for Congresses woes. It’s like blaming the left for Gore’s loss and the invasion of Iraq. It’s not like the left has any standing in this country, so blaming it is a good way not to solve the problem. congress was not behaving like a secular party. It’s loss is not a loss for “progressive” causes. It’s not like there was this huge wave of progressive voters in India that used to be there but isn’t any more.

  63. 63.

    Roxy

    May 23, 2014 at 9:42 pm

    @NotMax:

    I loved this movie. I also loved Strictly Ballroom

  64. 64.

    Cain

    May 23, 2014 at 9:49 pm

    If you need to look for a dark sky, check this out:
    http://www.stpeteastronomyclub.org/googleEarth.php

  65. 65.

    Cain

    May 23, 2014 at 9:56 pm

    @Suffern ACE:

    I rather have the BJP than Congress. They are scum. The country always takes some kind of nose dive when they are in power. Thank god, the new generation don’t know who Gandhi or any of the old guard is since the Congress likes to milk the Gandhi name like nobodys business. It might work for the old generation, but the new ones don’t give a shit. Hopefully they just demand results.

  66. 66.

    Matt McIrvin

    May 23, 2014 at 10:04 pm

    Stupid stupid clouds.

  67. 67.

    Matt McIrvin

    May 23, 2014 at 10:06 pm

    @srv: God, it sounds like Democrats moaning about values voters after the 2004 election.

  68. 68.

    RobertB

    May 23, 2014 at 10:12 pm

    @Fair Economist: I saw those Leonids. Two meteors at a time. Flashes that I would have sworn that made noise. I’m now spoiled on other meteor showers.

  69. 69.

    NotMax

    May 23, 2014 at 10:26 pm

    @Roxy

    Oldish joke:

    Q: If you don’t like parachute pants, why do you always wear them?

    A: Strictly ballroom.

  70. 70.

    Suffern ACE

    May 23, 2014 at 10:45 pm

    @Matt McIrvin: it is like that. And it’s been building for quite some time. There actually is a good case to be made that the government in India needs to not have a stance on religion. There are too many religious codes that need to be enforced. The government is probably better off not trying to enforce them all. However, that isn’t what was happening in India. Either there is a secular code to resolve civil matters that everyone is subject to or there isn’t. Congress was not secular. It chose which groups were subject to secular laws and which could have state support for their own religious laws. That isn’t secularism.

    In certain ways, modi is the better candidate for a liberal democracy. That of course is in theory. In practice, setting up a Hindu based state is going to involve some very painful changes. I’m not certain how far they will get with that.

  71. 71.

    cckids

    May 24, 2014 at 12:34 am

    @Fair Economist: I saw those with my daughter & other tweens on a Girl Scout campout at Great Basin NP. Holy smokes, what a show. I was the only adult willing to stay up & watch, and wow, was it ever worth it. So many “falling stars”, and the big ones, with the trails they left . . . only time in my life to see such a sight. The daughter & her friends still talk about it.

  72. 72.

    Steeplejack

    May 24, 2014 at 12:52 am

    @NotMax:

    If I’m still up (possible!) I may take a look. That is a good little movie.

    I have enjoyed TCM’s Australian focus this month, although I am bummed that they couldn’t find room for one of my favorites, Gillian Armstrong’s The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992). Trailer here. Or either of Rob Sitch’s great comedies The Castle (1997) or The Dish (2000).

    And that reminds me: TCM has “improved” their Web site so that it’s no longer possible (that I can find) to see the whole month’s schedule on one page. You have to step through effects-drenched pages for each day. Damn it to hell.

    Oh, well, now I’m off to watch another Australian thing on PBS: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. I loves me some Phryne Fisher.

  73. 73.

    bee

    May 24, 2014 at 1:15 am

    Still looking when will i see at least 1?

  74. 74.

    Darcie

    May 24, 2014 at 1:37 am

    I am surprisingly still awake to try and witness this meteor shower :) So excited to get the chance to check it out I normally don’t stay up this late! Good luck to everyone and fingers crossed its a good show!!

  75. 75.

    Steeplejack

    May 24, 2014 at 2:02 am

    @bee:

    It doesn’t start until 2:00 a.m. EDT—now!

  76. 76.

    Juju

    May 24, 2014 at 2:38 am

    I’ve seen six so far. They zip by really quickly and are not as bright as the August or December meteor showers. Look right at the big dipper. I saw four buzz right through the center.

  77. 77.

    Karen in GA

    May 24, 2014 at 3:00 am

    Saw only one so far, at about 2:30. Going back out now. I’m about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta, so there’s some light pollution, but I’ve been able to see a decent number of meteors for every other shower I’ve gone out to watch.

  78. 78.

    Betty Cracker

    May 24, 2014 at 3:31 am

    I saw a few, but they were faint and fleeting. I’m kind of out in the sticks, but the closest urban area is north, so maybe the light pollution washed the meteors out.

  79. 79.

    Elizabelle

    May 24, 2014 at 4:13 am

    I got up a bit late; didn’t see anything going on. Lots of stars out, no clouds (as is usual, for any stargazing events) …

    Wondering if I missed the shooting match …

  80. 80.

    Daron

    May 24, 2014 at 5:26 am

    @Elizabelle:
    Don’t worry you didn’t miss much. I think the bulk of the shower came above the north horizon and for anyone that lives around the triangle near garner you can see the light pollution from down town and north Raleigh. I saw maybe a total of 10 and me and four others watched from 2am until 5am est. It was a little disappointing but I did see a few nice bright streakers a few really caught my eye while I was looking directly above me around 3:30. I’m just glad I saw at least a few but trust me it really wasn’t a meteor shower more like a meteor sprinkle.
    I really wanted to see one like I saw in Florida at Gatorback MotoCross Park about 9 or 10 years ago. It was the first meteor shower I ever saw and it by far the best. We sat on top of the race trailer to get a better view but you didn’t even have to because there was a streak in the sky almost every second some times 3 or 4 at a time in different parts of the sky. It went on for about 3 hours and it was so awesome. Maybe I will get to see another one like that in my life time.

  81. 81.

    Fred

    May 24, 2014 at 5:58 am

    @Betty Cracker- Thanks for the heads up. I count on people who are more plugged in than I to keep abreast of these wonders. I just loves me a good meteor shower.
    Over here across the pond and in the northern latitudes it might just be dark enough by 10 pm (4 am ET US) to catch a glimpse. But it is out of the north and this time of year the northern sky stays light through the night with the glow of the sun shining over the pole. I love that summer light but it does muck with these sort of things. We shall see. I hope.

  82. 82.

    Elizabelle

    May 24, 2014 at 9:17 am

    @Daron:

    Maybe 20 years ago there was such a bright and busy meteor shower (fall? night in central Virginia) that I think the dogs were watching them too.

    Watched with my toddler nephew who’s now 6 feet tall and almost through college.

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