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Meteor Shower with Ziggy
Meteor Shower with Ziggy

One of my most memorable astronomy moments was an evening when it was widely announced on the news that a meteor shower was expected to rain upon us that moonless, cloudless night. My husband and I were very excited to witness this celestial event. As soon as nightfall arrived, we grabbed a blanket, a thermos of coffee and headed to the local wildlife preserve.

When we arrived, we found that we had lots of company. Many other folks chose the same site for it's remote, dark location in hopes of having the best viewing experience. The cars were all parked and everyone was laying flat on the ground as the show began! Darkness was absolute, as it enveloped me completely. One beautiful star streak after another filled the sky above. I became totally fixated on the night's show, giving me the sensation of being alone in space. Suddenly a huge, black "monster" heaved over me with his smelly, hot breath. My vision seemed suddenly gone, as I was completely covered by this enormous, black, hairy animal. One giant smear of his tongue made me scream. I was positive I was about to be eaten by what must surely be a bear! Terror consumed me in what I thought was my last moment on Earth when I heard a fellow stargazer call out "come here Ziggy." As he came over to pull his giant black Labrador Retriever off me, he said, "Sorry, ma'am. He got away from me." I was so relieved that it was just an overly friendly dog, that all I could do was laugh. I never saw him coming, but boy I was glad to see him go!

Needless to say, I am much more comfortable viewing a meteor shower from a standing position through the eyepiece of a telescope, thanks to "Ziggy".

Details
Date Taken: 06/13/2011
Author: Carol S
Category: Orion's Astronomy Essay Contest (2009)

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