It was a clear, warm and mosquito free evening at Mandell Hill last night! Absolutely the perfect conditions for watching meteors. And that’s what thirty people did from the Chris Ellison Memorial Birding Platform area at the Mandell Hill Preserve in Hardwick.
The annual Perseid meteor shower put on a wonderful display, even for those of us that couldn’t stay up past midnight to see the peak in activity. Periodically you’d hear “Ooh, there’s one” or “Over there!” The best of the evening came around 11:15 or so, streaked halfway across the sky leaving an exceptionally long tail. That one brought gasps and cries from all assembled. A group of six brave night hikers walking the loop trail heard all the noise when that meteor came into view. As I was collecting the luminaria at the end of the evening there was one parting meteor heading north west that almost landed in the cup of the Big Dipper! Beautiful.
Typically there’s be a picture to show you, but the night sky is too subtle for the office camera. You’ll have to use your imagination this time. Hope you join us at our next gathering.