Somewhere in the ethereal tumult, in the great halls of air swirling over Hudson Bay, a slight change was made. Perhaps, the famous butterfly flit its wings and the slight pulse of air built until a little breeze blew. And that little breeze blew and blew until it eventually turned over the page of my calendar to August. And with the changing of the calendar, rains and cloudy nights came to a formerly clear blue and starry New England summer.
I didn’t need a calendar to tell me it was August. Cloudy night-skies were enough. Ever since I was a little kid I have been observing the Perseid meteor shower in August. And while the Perseid shower shows up every year like clockwork, it is always hit or miss with the weather. (As a practical note you can observe three or four evenings before of after the peak which this year was August 12, 2018.)
This year I was flying home late from Cincinnati the evening of the peak meteors. I attended 10MIN and had a wonderful time making new friends and learning a lot. An upside of the late flight, I figured, would be I’d be up for the Perseid shower. Alas, the weather didn’t cooperate. It was starry as we flew home above the clouds, but I didn’t see any meteors out the window. I did see a large, glowering, close to opposition, Mars following us the whole way back.
When we got to Boston the whole area was fogged in. No observing the Perseids this year. I took a cab home through the spooky, empty, foggy streets. Opening the front door, I was greeted by my trusty cat Quiet Rustle who was blinking his eyes to wake up. It was great to be home again safe and sound.
Thanks to the love that moves the sun and stars!
copyright 2018 Christopher Donahue