I had a very vivid dream last night

A friend and I were participating in some sort of exercise where everyone had to work together to get through a series of puzzles or obstacles--sort of the opposite of 'Survivor', as the idea was the group as a whole had to get through, or at least the majority, through cooperative effort. Afterward, the sky turned a brilliant green (yes, green, very bright but a light shade), and there were stars and meteors. I remember being so happy that my friend could see the streaks of meteors (he has poor vision, and can't really see stars in the sky). Then the sky changed to a darker, more menacing colour of blue and purple, with hurtling explosions and things got scary. Apparently the world was going to end unless the correct person was edited out of the program creating the world, and it would be like they never existed. My friend had to sit down and carefully edit out first one person and then another until the sky turned back to 'normal'. I was one of the one sacrificed for the greater good. Even in my dreams I'm a martyr. *shakes head* Anyway, he finally got the right one and everything was okay again. I think it was brought on by a combination of the Perseid meteor shower last week (and I was lucky enough to see a fairly large one streak across the sky, even with the city lights), as well as being intrigued by the video game that just came out, No Man's Sky, which in all the news stories has a green sky (although not the vivid green of my dream). I slept throughout the night, dreaming, and stirred just a couple of times and then went right back into the dream.

My God, it's full of stars

I woke up just a little while ago from a dream which was irrelevant to this story except for the very end. I looked up, and despite being at my apartments where there should be some light pollution, the sky was a beautiful cascade of many stars, the Milky Way was visible, there seemed to be such depth and velvetness overhead (I tend to dream with a sort of intense super-detail often, and this was exactly like that). There were meteors shooting up ahead every few seconds. Right now the Perseid meteor shower is going on, and even though we're past the peak, meteors are still being grabbed up by Earth's atmosphere. I'm almost tempted to go outside to see whether I can see any, although I know the city edge that I live on is pretty bleak for most skywatching. I really need to find a good stargazing spot and take my telescope there sometime.

Of course, I have seen a sky like that before. I've lived in the country plenty of times. And when I lived on Edwards Air Force Base in California, we not only had little light pollution (or any other kind), we were at a high altitude. I remember one of the parents driving us out onto the base away from the lights and it was total darkness, and we got up on the hood and roof of the car with blankets and just watched the stars and meteors. That was the Perseids, too. It saddens me that many children today will never see the stars like that.

Anyway, just wanted to share that bit. Time to head back to bed. I was gone by 8 pm and have slept almost seven hours as it is. I hope to get up in about an hour or two and do some things around the house. I've been going to bed in an attempt to avoid them, I think. I tell myself I'm just really sleepy, but let's face it, it's a trick. :)

Certainly the most interesting news story of the day

Meteorite Hits Russia, Causing Panic

A meteor plunged toward earth over Russia's Ural Mountains Friday, exploding into flames in a powerful blast that damaged buildings in nearby areas, injuring around 1,000 people.

Amateur videos broadcast on state television showed an object streaking across the sky, trailing smoke, around 9:20 a.m. local time before bursting into a fireball. It caused a sonic boom from which residents in the city of Chelyabinsk, the largest in the affected region, described a shock wave that blew in doors, smashed glass and set off car alarms.

What an amazing thing to experience. I hope no one was terribly hurt. But from a scientific and just normal point of view, this was a pretty interesting.

I'm not sure my newfound mobility is quite up to spending awhile outside stargazing, but...

just in case you didn't know, there is actually a possibility of TWO meteor showers tonight, against a dark moon phase that really should help visibility.

Geminid Meteor Show to Light up Tonight’s Sky — Plus Possible Bonus Meteor Shower

Tonight, the annual Geminid meteor shower will put the world’s Christmas lights to shame. One of the year’s biggest meteor showers, it’s expected to shine extra bright tonight, because the moon’s current phase will keep the sky free of glare. Now all you must do is hope for a clear night, and, if possible, get yourself to a rural area, where you could see as many as 100 shooting stars per hour.

If you want to watch a not-quite-so-magical view of the heavens without dealing with light pollution from the city or braving the cold, you can also watch a live feed of the showers, thanks to NASA.

Hi

I know I've been sporadic at best the last few days. First there was being away on the visit to my family. Then Friday night I posted just a bit. Saturday was spent with friends (we watched Beastly), then there was the 'Doctor Who' finale, which rocked, and the premier of 'Bedlam', which looks interesting.

Sunday was preparing for the game, doing the big grocery run, and then the game. We time travelled back into the age of the Neanderthals to try to save the world and our entire timeline. Still working on it. I was so tired when I got home I crashed for 12 hours.

Monday I had to go by the store and deliver some groceries to a friend. This morning I was late to work because a bus driver pulled away even though I was ten feet in front of him and had my bus pass out.

Tonight I went over to try to fix a computer that is being very wonky, but was fed the most wonderful dinner I've had in awhile, a Breton dish with fresh tuna steaks and onions, mashed potatoes, a salad, and French cream of potato soup. My tummy is very happy.

On the way home, as I was waiting for the bus, a fairly large meteor, an early showing from the Draconid shower that peaks in a few days, streaked across the sky. I was delighted--I haven't seen a meteor in years, and it reminded me of the times when I was a kid and we'd lie on a car hood in the California desert to watch meteor showers, away from light pollution and smog, and there was just this dark velvet sky, millions of stars, and the Milky Way, along with hundreds of streaks of light. It was breathtaking. :)

Tomorrow the plan is to come home from work, barring any emergency computer issues. There's a programme I'd like to catch that's premiering at 10 on FX called 'American Horror Story'. My, I'm watching a lot of TV lately, for me.

I'm afraid that's all I've got for tonight. I'm just so pooped. I will try to write something blogworthy tomorrow.

Good night.

Cool!

Last night about 10 pm people from Wisconsin to Missouri saw the following meteor as part of the Gamma Virginids shower:


Thanks, Brandon, for the link to the video. I've seen quite a few meteors (especially when I lived in the California desert, with prime viewing away from light and pollution), but nothing this spectacular.

Look to the heavens Sunday night

Perseid shower to light up the sky

I have fond memories of watching the Perseid shower in California in the early 80s under a perfect desert night sky. We climbed on top of a car and lay there, transfixed.

A few years ago there was a shower (can't remember if it was the Perseid or Leonid) and I didn't have a car and was living downtown amongst bright lights. I was really diappointed. I'd missed seeing Haley's comet, beyond a blurry patch far on the horizon, for the same reason. Then, as I went to go inside, a bright light flashed in the sky, bigger than your average meteor by many times, leaving me happy and satisfied.

I am such a geek. But I prefer to think of it as enjoying the wonders of creation. :)