(meteorobs) Perseids and Perspective

[Bruce McCurdy]

> Thank you for these kind words. I've come to accept my role here as 
> someone
> bringing a new and different perspective to my neighbors.

    That is a role a lot of astronomers play, one way or another. :) And 
frankly, with the insanity down here on the surface -- not to mention at 
cruising altitude -- the world could use a Universe worth of perspective, so 
it is an important role that none of us should sell short.

> I also wanted to mention that I've learned of a young man in a village
> about  45 minutes from here who is a shephard but  is an AVID
> astronomer...he is poor, as one might expect and has built his own
> telescope! I hope to meet him in the coming weeks to see what he's done 
> and
> learn how much he really knows about the heavens. He needs some 
> encouraging
> I think...young people like this are as rare as 'point meteors' !! ;-))

    Great story. I'd like to hear about your meeting when it happens; if you 
think it's off-topic, mail me off-list.

> As for what we saw...it was a brief flash so it was probably a 
> flare...even
> though it was in the radiant...

    Iridium "flares" tend to last for a couple to several seconds, like 
they're on some a slow-motion cosmic dimmer switch. And one can often see a 
satellite of normal brightness coming and going before/after the flare. If 
what you saw was both brief *and* in the radiant, maybe you did see a point 
meteor. Or was it two?

> thanks again for your kind words. they encourage me to continue ...

    You are most welcome, Arlene. I have *always* enjoyed reading your 
reports.

    Bruce
    *****