Jinxed? – Day 642

Fresh picked owl flowers – Photo: L. Weikel; Flowers: T. Dollar

Jinxed?

Last night I gave it yet another shot, making one more post 1:00 a.m. ‘Perseid run.’ Far exceeding the previous evenings, my view was vast and so expansive that it made me feel like I was reclined at the base of a star globe. But as bombarded with bazillions of stars and planets and satellites as I was, I wondered if perhaps this year I was jinxed.

Quite honestly, I think this is the first year I’ve ever experienced not seeing a single meteor during the Perseids meteor showers. Of course, I’m not counting the times I didn’t actually go outside to look. (That may seem obvious, but I don’t want it to sound like hyperbole when I say this is my first time without a single sighting. It’s actually pretty rare not to see at least one ‘shooting star’ in a summertime night sky. So…yeah. I’m feeling a little deprived.

Once again, though, I cannot rave enough about the overwhelming sense of tranquility I felt when I reclined on my blanket and pillow. Yes, I allowed myself that indulgence last night. The heck with it. You all know the…let’s call it ‘pensive’ mood I was in after writing my post for the evening. So I parked my car on the grass just off the side of the country road near my home where I go to sky gaze (the farmland that provides me with an extreme, unfettered view of the sky) and just allowed my eyes and soul to drink it all in.

Crystal Clarity

It was a really cool scenario, though, as I drove through the ‘tree tunnel’ toward my meteor-gazing destination. As my car emerged from the protection of a canopy of trees overarching the road, a layer of fog about four feet tall suddenly blanketed the land all around me. Regardless, I pulled my car over and spread out my blanket. I might not be able to see any deer or foxes or coyotes or other fauna that might be sharing the evening with me, but the view UP was crystal clear.

Curiously, especially since this was where Karl and I heard our pack of coyotes yipping away when we sought a glimpse of the Comet Neowise a couple weeks ago (another viewing fail), this night there was a blanket of silence accompanying that blanket of fog. Nary a cricket, nor a katydid – not even a single trill of a screech owl broke the silence.

The peace was glorious.

Mars

As I lay there allowing my vision to expand and grow soft so as to drink in as much of the cosmic real estate that I could, my attention kept being drawn to a noticeable (for its size)  orangey-red celestial being. Pretty sure it was Mars, I nevertheless whipped out my Sky Guide app and verified that yes, indeed, it was Mars.

I then followed the ecliptic as it arced across the sky and very clearly identified Jupiter and Saturn once again as well.

I’m sure I should be able to take much better photos of the night sky than I’m managing at the moment, but here is my photo of Mars from last night:

As I take the time to reflect upon my last few forays into meteor-spotting, I guess I really shouldn’t consider myself jinxed – even if I didn’t see a single meteor this year. Maybe it was better for me not to feel like I’m jumping into hyperspace at the moment. (Although wouldn’t that be the coolest experience?!) Maybe the tranquility was the point. Maybe the silence was essential to helping me re-set.

One word to the wise should you choose to embrace this experience: spritz yourself with bug spray before you go. The high pitched eeeeeeeeeee of a mosquito’s voice as it seeks to plunge its needle-like proboscis into your tender flesh is a most unsavory interruption to your reverie.

(T-469)