During summer, I feel the need to stay outside as much as possible. Summer solstice time is an excellent example of this.

The past few years I’ve made a habit of using this time to bring friends together up my local maunga to observe the meteor shower that falls around the same time, the Geminids.

In 2020, I began this tradition, and, though we all got a bit chilled once the dew fell around 1am, it was a wonderful experience. Last year was also excellent, though with an addition of anxiety and social distancing + masks. Six of us headed up the mountain, well wrapped, with wine and snacks, and had a lovely evening of chatting, imbibing and observing the night sky. Despite the cloudiness, it was a great experience and such a relief to see friends after what had been a near 4 month lockdown period.

Now as we head into winter, I am grateful of those times. I think back on them fondly as I close my curtains earlier each evening and bemoan the slight “jetlag” that accompanies the end of Daylight Savings Time (DST).

During the next few months, though it will be colder and rainier, I hope to go meteor hunting again. This time, however, we will wrap ourselves in many more warm layers.

Geminids

Streaking across the sky,
Thousands of space rocks falling,
Whizzing through the sky.


Thanks for reading.

To discover meteor showers in your area, head to timeanddate.com and input your location. https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/list.html