We had only a few minutes to enjoy the light on our first walk tonight, but I thought the sky was beautiful especially with that sliver of moon floating amid the pink.
I've been paying more attention to the sky lately while we walk, if for no other reason than because it's so dark and the stars are just about all I can see. Often times I'll find that I haven't even looked to see where we're headed; instead I crane my neck back and try to pick out the few constellations I know (I can count them on one hand) or just make my own: The Mickey Mouse, the NBC peacock , and my favorite, the lengthwise roller. Duncan has admirably assumed the role of guide dog, leading me to such inspiring destinations as the skate park, the tipped over garbage can where he likes to pee, the spot the bunny sat in two weeks ago. It must be nice to have such simple tastes.
Later we went out again, this time to search for Comet Holmes, in the northern sky, just off of Cassiopeia (the sideways "W") smack dab in the middle of Perseus. The only clouds in all of Denverland were right about where I was supposed to look, and, as an added bonus, our apartment complex chose today as the day they decided to replace all the bulbs in the parking lot, which lit us up like a used car dealership. I fear I'm destined to miss this one, too. But, November is the month of the Leonid Meteor Shower, when the Earth passes through the debris left over from the tail of the Tempel-Tuttle comet (can you tell I've been reading up my space.com?). As a kid I always expected the meteor showers to be much more spectacular than they actually are, so tonight I didn't expect to see much. But while on our fifteen minute walk around the perimeter of the property I saw three different streaks, each of them catching my breath. It was not quite what I imagined, but still, it was better than a walk in the rain. I hoping Duncan had somehow been as transfixed by the flashes as I, but when I looked down he wasn't even paying attention. Instead he'd lodged his nose in a discarded Arby's wrapper in an attempt to suck up whatever "cheese" sauce had adhered to the paper.
What a good boy.
3 comments:
"our apartment complex chose today as the day they decided to replace all the bulbs in the parking lot, which lit us up like a used car dealership"
This description made me laugh! I thought of the dealership on the drive home from Blackfoot to Oregon. It seems to come out of now where - from pitch black to glowing white - I am like a deer in headlights and simply blown away at how much light they radiate. It's like a mini Las Vegas!
mmm Arby's cheese sauce, Duncan has the right idea.
You should see the widthwise roller in the Minneapolis night sky - stunning!
Fab photo, btw!
Post a Comment