A Date with the Night Sky

It is that time of the year when you can see a magnificent display in the night sky.

To see them explode into the picture and traverse across great lengths of the deep dark sky is both exciting and enthralling..

know its way past Diwali time and I know birds are too unlikely to be exploding in the night sky…

If you are thinking what I think you are thinking, then I know for a fact you are definitely not thinking what I am going to talk (or should I say write?) about….

Well, of course I am taking about the Gemenids Meteor Shower !!!

As much as I am happy with all the attention Space sector in our country is garnering-what with the entire field revolutionizing itself to open the doorway to the Future and all, people are still mostly ignorant about something that happens every year, something anyone from a peasant to a billionaire can witness without even requiring to spend a single penny, something that will ignite the curiosity in your mind and make your heart race with excitement-the Meteor Showers.

Unlike the planets or the moon's crater, you don’t need costly equipment to spot them as you can do so with your naked eye. All you need is a peaceful environment with preferably as little light pollution as possible and some…or maybe a tad more Patience.

As I am writing this, I am inside my room unable to witness the peak of Gemenids shower for the second consecutive year owing to extremely poor visibility.

If you don’t have such unforeseen obstructions, you are good to go for experiencing a great night and spectate the tiny balls of fire surfing among the stars.

I know it’s sounds weird, but when you see the little blob of light zoom past your head somewhere in the sky looking as if it’s giving Uber services from star to star, you can’t just be 'not' amused or excited by it.

Considering that Patience is a virtue of great importance for this meteor spotting activity, you can always make your observation more engaging by adding,

1. Music

2. Music and

3. Music

Just imagine yourself lying flat on your back on the terrace looking at the beautiful carpet of night sky with a plethora of gems scattered on it -making you want to reach out seize them with your hands with one of your favourite melodies running in the background.

Now that's something I would do any day to blow off steam and get my mind back on track.

This is a composite photo of the Gemenids showers-2015

People who are passionate about photography will have a field day with stars raining down on them!

I know Google can do a better way of listing out all the Meteor Showers in a year, but since you are already here, I will give you a small brief.

Meteors are basically dust and debris that enter Earth’s atmosphere only to get roasted alive,Because as they hit the mesosphere with great speed the gases present in that layer will cause friction and create heat that will reduce them to ashes by putting a great show for us to see.

They are also called shooting stars because as they burn they leave bright trails across the sky and it looks as if it’s an arrow being shot down at someone below.

As Earth moves and comes into the path of a comet or an asteroid you get to witness what's called as a “Meteor Shower”.

We have many prominent meteor showers throughout the year. Apart from the Gemenids- also known as the king of meteor showers, Perseids and Leonidas that happen during the month of August and November respectively are the most rewarding ones.

Each shower is associated with a comet or an asteroid as it is the dust from their trail that is trying to bypass it’s way into Earth.

The Gemenids- are associated with the asteroid 3200 Phaethon whose orbit is shown in the simulation above, the Perseids with Swift Tuttle and Leonids with Temple Tuttle. They are all called so because they seem to be appearing from the respective constellation such as Gemini ,Perseus and Leo that they share their name with.

#Visit www.meteorshowers.org to see each shower's source visualized with amazing details like the one above.

As the budding interest towards astronomy grows in our country , I hope more and more star parties and observation sessions are arranged for people to truly experience the magic of a dark sky and open their eyes and mind to the sound of nature.

Night sky is our window to look past our meager planet and into the vast depths of the Universe and listen to a distant star's version of 'Story of my life'.

A small date with the stars can take you into a light year long journey of awe and astonishment.

💞

This year may have been a bummer again…but I know I already have another breathtaking date scheduled with the night sky this time next year.

I hope you get to have your own little dates too!!

Until then, Keep looking Up!!!

Cheers!!

**EVANESCO**