Why you should watch The Perseids meteor shower tonight.

Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the year! It is the peak of The Perseids Northern Hemisphere Meteor Tour. Every year at this time the Earth passes through a cloud of space rocks. We Earthlings see this as streaks of light slashing across the sky. We call this a meteor shower. Which is better than both the baby and bridal variety. Tonight you could see 60 meteors an hour. If you are a math genius you might be able to figure out how many that is per minute.

How to see it:

1. Find a place with as little light pollution as possible. Times Square and The Vegas Strip are terrible meteor viewing spots. If you are there, watch the people instead. For best results try a more rural location. Like Vermont. Or the Mountain Time Zone.
2. Go outside. You probably knew this, but I don’t want any confusion.
3. Look up: The sky, especially the eastern sky is where the fun is. But don’t stare at a single spot, Mama. The streaks can happen all over the place.
4. Wait until after the moonset. Once you stop getting mooned the sky will be darker, making the meteors meatier, and easier to see. Check your local listings to see when the moonshine stops in your area.
5. Keep off your phone. Checking your little device of digital addictions will mess up your eyeballs. You want your pupils fully dilated and dialed into the light show from far, far away.

My family and I watched the meteors last night. Which is kind of like watching the Homerun Derby or the Slam Dunk Contest before the All-Star game. In fact, The Perseids can actually be seen from July into September. Last night I was reminded why watching The Perseids is one of my favorite things to do. (I smell a list coming on.)

7 Reasons I love watching The Perseids meteor shower.

1. It happens in August. It’s an amazing time to be outside looking up at the sky. There are other major meteor showers that happen in the winter, but I don’t love a cold shower. And this one you can watch with no shirt, no shoes and no problems.
2. Stop, Hammock Time! I watch the meteors just taking it easy, laying in my hammock where it’s nice and breezy. I have a free-standing hammock. Which means it is not tied to trees which would block the sky. Watching meteors streaking the quad from a hammock is a heavenly experience. Blankets and chairs also work.
3. The Wow! When you go outside tonight and check out the stars you are going to be wowed by just how many stars there really are. The view is spectacular, even before you start seeing the streakers. If the sky full of stars doesn’t inspire your creativity and sense of wonder you can ask Coldplay for your money back.
4. Recalibration: Staring up at the stars at night is like stopping to smell the roses. Most of us don’t take nearly enough time to do such things. While you’re watching the wonders of the night sky I hope you regain perspective. We are all lucky to be here. Those big things you are stressing about are really tiny in the the scale of the universe.
5. Thinking Time. As you stare at the night sky you can’t help but think. The stars will make you wonder how far away they are, and who else is out there, and do they have their own hammocks? Then there are the planes. Where are they going? What is their view like? And the satellites, in my eyes, like a diamond in the sky. They are crazy to see. Oh, you didn’t know you could see satellites? You can! Up to 100 each night. And they will make you think about how they got there and what they are doing.
6. The Meteors While in theory, these are what you will go outside to look for, they are the icing on the cake. But these shooting stars are absolutely magical. They surprise. They delight. And they will make your mind sparkle. There is a Disneyesque magic to them. And if you were alive during the ‘The more you know” era the shooting stars are also nostalgic.
7. Time with Family Watching with family or friends makes it all even better. Watching last night with my wife Dawn and my kids Ava, Johann and Magnus was one of the highlights of 2024. We’ll watch again tonight.

Key Takeaway

Get outside tonight and watch the meteor shower. These shooting stars are better than anything on TV or your phone. Watching the night sky will remind you how amazing our world really is. It will make you think and ideate. It will make your problems feel smaller. It is a great experience to share with your family and friends. And it’s free. As are most of the best things in life.

*If you know someone who would enjoy seeing some shooting stars, please share this with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Originally published at http://adamalbrecht.blog on August 11, 2024.