I failed the Perseids this year. You know, the meteor shower. It’s a test to check your patience, stamina, and ability to look up.
I’m not bitter. Really. Okay, that’s a lie.
My daughter really loves astronomy. Her science teacher is a huge astronomy buff who sent home a quick note this week, reminding parents that the Perseids are so important that it’s okay if your child stays up late to see them. She even said that she was seeing activity out her windows. People were posting videos of seeing fireballs weave in and out of the clouds.
Our plan was for me to stay up a little late to check for activity, and wake her up if there were any signs of shooting stars, fireballs, or other heavenly activity. Failing that, I was to check each time I got up in the middle of the night. Mind you I was waking up to the call of nature, not an alarm clock set for 2 and 4 a.m. I even have an app on my Droid phone so I can find the Perseids.
We got nothing.
It was cloudy. It rained. It rained on me as I stood in the driveway looking up. The supermoon shone too brightly. Nothing between 11 and 12 p.m. or during my early morning visits.
It hasn’t been a total loss this year. In May, we were able to take her to see an unexpected meteor shower. We only saw four or five shooting stars, and I am still not sure if it was worth waking her up at 2 in the morning to sit on a cold bench overlooking Lake Michigan. But, seeing the real meteors was amazing.
However, that was like the PSAT of meteor showers. The Perseids are the SAT or maybe even the GRE of meteor showers. And, my score was zero. Maybe, though, this is like the real SAT test where everyone takes it and then lies about their scores. Hey, what did you get on the Perseids this year, huh?
There’s always next year.
Motivate - Jenny Moss 