Winter Solstice

The winter solstice happens today,meaning, today will be the shortest day for this year.I remembered it early morning and Google confirmed it for me.The weather is also mild and moody making it a pleasant day.Winter solstice doesn't mean much difference in the day-to-day activities here,for a place that is nearer the tropic of cancer, but knowing it is the shortest day makes a difference to me.Not much but just knowing it makes the difference.

For some days recently I was meaning to write about my stargazing experience for this year.I will take this day as an opportunity to do just that. I was eyeing for another meteor shower view all through this year but it seemed to never happen at all-atleast until late August. Thats when Perseid meteoroids fall and this year was supposed to a peak year for them. It looks like the peak year happen every ten years or so.I tried for the first few days when the fall started but I was late to the party.To see the Perseid meteor shower,you have to be in the terrace at the hours just before dawn. Like at 3 AM but all I could do was get at five-ish only. Another thing with the 3 AM hour is the mosquitoes. Looks like they never sleep. After my first day attempt I started dabbling odomos before stepping out and even carried the tube along.Thank God, Perseids happen in August so no fear of midnight cold. It was actually pretty humid at that hour.

The third day I was very alert as that was supposed to be the peak day.My dad gave me company on the third day and we were there in the terrace at around 2.50 am.My father is also interested in stargazing and everytime he keeps me company for a shower view,I will be ready to hear his story about his experience as a kid. My father had witnessed a meteor shower when he was a kid(could have been six or eight year old)but not like anything we do these days to see the shower.Those days there were no common transport and so they make long journeys by foot even to reach far away places.They usually start the journey around evening to avoid sunburns and walk entire nights and reach the destination by morning. My father was once making such a trip with his grandfather,walking through a farmer's field and suddenly he saw a bright array of meteors falling. He describes it was just like a rain but only with light. He and his grandfather stopped the walk and saw the shower in all its brilliance and then resumed the journey.I had tried to work out the facts in the story and tried to pinpoint when it could have happened and what meteor shower(there are atleast six prominent meteor showers in a year)he actually saw. After some research and guesswork,I think he had indeed watched an Perseid shower.I always love to hear his experience and imagine what a luck, to sit in the terrace and listen to his retelling at that hour when the entire town is sleeping.

This year we did not have to sit watching the blank sky for hours.This year truly turned out to be peak year for Perseid shower and we saw meteors streaking past every minute and sometimes three at a time.My father asked how these showers happen and I went full fledged explaining,as the nerd in me was waiting for him to ask me that question. We also discussed about the planets and the stars and lamented about how the weather and climate is spoiled by man these days. After a while, my sister too came and joined us and we had our usual fun of counting how many meteors each of us saw fall.Thinking back, I would say that is the best stargazing experience I have ever had in my life. I did not have much luck after the Perseid till day but I am content. And that night was enough to keep me motivated and grateful.

Just realized this post is going to be picture less so I will include a mind blowing video from Youtube.I wish I had come across the facts in the video when I was in school.Have a nice day!