According to NASA tonight is the best night to see the Great Persedian Meteor Shower in 2007.  Around 4:00 am there should be about 1 shooting star per minute.  Tonight is a new moon and the moon’s light is not going to be interfering with the stargazing.

When I was a child, my dad would wake everyone in the house up to go look at various astronomical events:  eclipes, comets, shooting stars, etc.  For example, when I was about 8 years old, we all got up to watch a total eclipse of the moon from our front porch.  When I was in high school, my dad got us up several times, including school nights, to look at Haley’s Comet. 

Several years back, my father got a telescope for Christmas.  We have used it at his house on several occasions.  The first time Mr. Right used it, he saw the rings around Saturn.  When my dad heard that, he shoved Mr. Right out of the way and then barely let anyone else use the telescope because he was having so much fun looking at Saturn.

While we have explained to BusyBoy and GigglyGirl what shooting stars are, their 4 year old minds have a hard time conceptualizing it.  In the spirit of family tradition and educating young minds, Mr. Right and I are going to get up at 3:00 am, get dressed, get the children up, drive about 20 miles north to a good viewing spot, and watch the sky light up with shooting stars.

Note we are going to wake 2 sleeping 4 year olds up at 3:00 in the morning to go look at shooting stars.  Are we crazy or what?!  At least, I can claim the insanity is inherited.

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