Meteors

The Lyrids meteor shower peaked tonight between 1 and 3 am. I parked my truck on the hill in the dark and settled in. Within a few moments I was rewarded with a brilliant streak trailing a long showy tail of white sparks. An hour later, I had seen two tiny threads of light zip by. I am certain however, that right this moment as I sit at the computer, the entire sky if full of streaking meteors...

The half moon was high in the west, and the local sky still full of smoke and haze from the burning pastures, and thin clouds covered most of the sky, so visibility was not the best. A solid bank of thunderheads advancing from the west, close enough to fire the sky with lightning occasionally, was also pushing darker clouds into the mix.

It does not matter if I see a thousand meteors or none - any excuse to be out beneath the night sky will do. It is cool enough to need a coat. The air is sweet with the emerald green emerging prairie, and no insects. Close enough to perfect for me.