Meteor madness

I saw a meteor from the plane the other night (it was probably a Leonid, maybe a Taurid), which is rare since the shades had to be drawn on every night flight I'd previously taken. I was gawking at the starry display from above the clouds when I saw the fleeting silver streak, ending in a quick, bright fireball (it's not as dramatic as it sounds; it's a way of describing the type of meteor). Another moment of perfection and awe, sealed behind my eyes for a long time to come.

Hope this year's Leonid shower will be a decent show, though estimates predict only a moderate display at best. The peak is forecasted for around 10am EST on this coming Thursday (17th Nov), which would be 8am for me here and way after sunrise. Moreover, the moon will be full and outshine many of the meteors during the dark hours, and the peak ZHR probably won't be much more than 15. Anyway, I don't hold much hope that Tom will be able to bring us out to the hillside or a darker spot along the coast, considering that someone will have to stay home with little Sean.

2001 really takes the cake as the best Leonid show ever for me and for many other viewers, breathtakingly spectacular during the peak with several meteors streaking across the sky at any given time, some ending in magnificent fireballs that left long-lingering trails. I was really lucky to be out at a dark spot facing the ocean at the time; it had been horribly cold and I was sick (the whole time, I clutched a flask of Throat Coat to ease my cough), but it was still one of my most unforgettable experiences. Having to pee during that trip wasn't much fun, though - there was no public commode anywhere near so I had to do it in the dark on the grass just off the road. It's no fun having to take off my pants in the cold, to be careful I didn't splash on my shoes, and to make sure I didn't step on the spot where my sister had gone before I did. And to hope no other car came by right at that moment and shine its headlights on my pale, freezing butt.