Perseid Meteor Shower

Even with the full moon tonight, I'm going to brave the cooler night air (which some might see as a relief with the weather we've been having lately) tonight when the Perseid Meteor shower reaches it's peak in the late hours of Friday and early hours of Saturday. Look at me... I sound like a news article.

Actual Perseid Meteor Shower

The meteor shower was viewable starting this past Wednesday, but the peak unfortunately coincides with the full moon so many are saying "just wait until another meteor shower comes around". I am foregoing these words of wisdom because.... well, because I can. I live out in the middle of nowhere, essentially, so the night sky will be pretty dark. I might be lucky enough to see several, and I can always admire the constellations. One benefit of living outside of town is illustrated as follows:

View of the sky from just outside a city (note that seeing stars within the city is much harder)

Night sky from the country

As the photos show, I get to behold a spectacular show every night just by looking up. Sometimes it's just nice to go lay out in my field, smell the coastal wind and all the scents it carries and relax while finding constellations. Then of course, curious horses wander over to see if I have any treats or not. For this meteor shower - if anyone finds themselves outside wondering which direction to look - you'll want to face northeast for this light show.

Of course if you're headed out to view the shower, be sure to bring plenty of blankets, maybe a chair or two, and lots of snacks and drinks. I definitely will be. No need for a telescope or anything of the sort (unless you want a real good look at Venus, Mars, Jupiter etc).

On a side note: 11 days. Maybe I should start a list of what I need to pack?