12 August 2012

magic moments

Tonight I have been "catching" falling stars... they are really a meteor shower, the detritis of a former comet with the very unromantic name "Swift-Tuttle", but they are certainly exciting as they dart, dash and ping across the sky!  They seem to be coming from behind me, but are appearing in different parts of the sky.

The first one I saw I doubted... was it just my shonky retina playing up? But no, there were more, and some were a little slower and longer, so I knew I really was seeing "falling stars".

The sky has little milky patches, as though perhaps there are sprinklings of fairy dust.  It's not the wonderful Milky Way in a rural Waikato sky, but it is fascinating as there is almost a rhythm to it. The stars, however, are completely unpredictable.

There are over 60 shooting stars an hour at the moment, according to the experts.

My tally so far is 3 aeroplanes, two little dogs, one bat, half a bar of dark chocolate (yes, chocolate in summer thanks to my special shopper) and several falling stars, two of them much bigger and slower than some of the others.

A rooster crowed a few minutes ago (it is well after 3am) so dawn can't be too far away... oh wait, it's an Italian rooster, the time means absolutely nothing to them  :-)  I'm heading back out...

Today I am grateful for happiness. 

2 comments:

Helen said...

Thank you for a lovely description of the magical stars. It must be a very special happening and I think that chocolate is the perfect food to accompany that viewing. Hint: if it melts just lick your fingers because at 3am no one will be watching you do so :)

LindyLouMac said...

I hope all your wishes come true. :)