A good evening with friends and the Perseids

[JamesF]

We spent last night camping in the middle of nowhere.  Every couple of years for the last dozen or so friends nearby have invited many of their friends and acquaintances to spend a weekend with them during the summer, camping in a field above their house.  There are quite a few children of similar ages who are allowed largely to run feral over the course of the weekend, though the dynamic is clearly changing as they reach their teens.  Not that it stopped them throwing themselves with great abandon down a 30m water slide temporarily slung together down the side of the hill this year.  My son even spent the evening running the bar (converted from an old horsebox).

As the sky darkened and the cloud thinned after sunset a fair-sized group of us settled down with a beer or glass of wine to watch for Perseids.  My wife was particularly keen as she has never actually seen a "shooting star" before.  It wasn't long before we were rewarded.  I wouldn't describe them as plentiful, but there were some absolutely stunning meteors including one I just caught out of the corner of my eye that was very bright and appeared to leave a wide trail lasting a second or two.  It feels like it's been almost a couple of months since we last had a clear sky here so to have one coincide with a good display of meteors was brilliant, especially for some of the children who had never seen them before.

I've never been quite so organised to spend time with so many people meteor-spotting before.  As well as the horse box bar they have an old horse transporter lorry on the hill, converted into a dorm with a load of bunk beds and armchairs that wheel out onto the loading ramp.  Next time it looks as though we might get a decent night for a meteor shower I might suggest that group of us get together and go up there to watch for them.

James

[Ant-33]

Glad you had a good evening, James. The location sounds great, and it's nice to get away from the lights. We got lucky here, too. There was a little cloud, but not enough to stop us seeing a good display. Like you, we found them to be not too frequent, but there were some whoppers. Lying flat on our backs (my wife and I) on loungers, with a sip of sloe gin, we were well away 

I enjoyed your report

Clear skies, Tony

[orion25]

Great report, James. I'm stuck in a hit-and-run rain shower situation: the rains will come and spoil the party, and once everyone's dispersed and gone home, the skies clear - until the next round! I pray to get an opportune window to see a few tonight (Sunday). I'm off work tomorrow so I have permission to stay up late! 

Regards,

Reggie