(meteorobs) Fwd: in other news

[Steven Kolins]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Steven Kolins <smkolins at mac.com>
> Date: April 22, 2007 7:34:38 AM EDT
> Subject: in other news
>
> Anyone up for the meteors this morning?
>
> The Milky Way was beautiful, the skies clear and cool - like an  
> eternal sea patiently lapping at the edges of our lives. Jupiter  
> was holding court  with it's moons in the south amidst Scorpio and  
> Sagittarius who frame the very center of that same Milky Way.  
> Overhead was brilliant Vega - keystone of both Lyra the harp and  
> the Summer Triangle of bright stars later to rise at a more  
> comfortable hour. And these meteors of which I speak were the  
> Lyrids. I saw 6 in a half hour plus one random meteor (not moving  
> radially away from Lyra and at a very different speed as well.) I  
> also scanned the heavens looking for faint Comet Lovejoy and think  
> I saw it - a faint patch off the tail of Aquila the Eagle - another  
> part of that Summer Triangle.
>
> A refreshing awareness of the lapping of events that do not depend  
> or care about the timings of our lives even if my aging body only  
> wanted to sit in the mild cold for such a short time, or was it my  
> mind spinning too fast for such glacial unfolding of purpose? Alas  
> even the glaciers are largely in retreat in these times.
>

To be more specific this was from about 3:30am to 4am of the 22nd...  
from central North Carolina, USA.

I could easily see some subtle details of the Milky Way - fragmented  
star clouds south of Aquila before reaching Sagittarius.... For  
example see http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050605.html though of course  
I didn't see that, but I did see hints of it. I also later determined  
that I had not seen Comet Lovejoy - it was something called the "Wild  
Duck Cluster"....

=    -   -  - - -  -   -    =
Steven Kolins
mailto:smkolins at mac.com
http://homepage.mac.com/smkolins/
Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart!
They that believe in vain thoughts forsake their own mercy.