I saw a shooting star! :D

I persuaded my partner to come out with me; we went to a field nearby where it was much darker and we could see the Milky Way! I pointed out Mars, Orion, Pegasus, Triangulum, Andromeda, the Plough and the North Star. That's about as much as i know at the moment. We saw a very bright star, it seemed to be pulsating and flashing hues of red, green and blue. At first i thought it must be an aeroplane, but it stayed perfectly still, and on consulting maps since we got home it was almost certainly Vega. A very bright star, quite nearby, spinning fast, circled with dust and possibly one or more planets! :D

I am hoping to go out tomorrow evening and watch the very best of the Geminids meteor shower, but i wanted to go out tonight whilst it is so clear, in case it is cloudy tomorrow. I just turned back towards the Plough to get my bearings when i saw it - a meteor shoot straight across, really fast and really small, but no mistaking what it was. Unfortunately it was too quickly gone for my partner to see it too, but i feel really pleased that i saw it! :)

Everyone in Europe must seriously look for shooting stars tomorrow evening at 17:45 GMT. There's going to be like an average of one a minute. You're bound to see some if the sky is clear enough!

1. cheryl frederick Says:
   December 15th, 2007 at 20:22

   good luck star hunting. we were in arizona in october and saw tons of shooting stars one night. yes, one does feel special to see them, huh?

2. Aimee Says:
   December 16th, 2007 at 22:22

   Yes indeed - it is quite humbling to see all evidence of a ginormous world beyond our own. It is especially pleasing to see something like a shooting star that doesn't happen very often! :)