At first you don’t see anything. Maybe a few twinkling stars. Look harder and then you see the pattern. Oh the head, the shoulders, the belt – the hunter and of course, his dog. It’s Orion and Sirius. But continue looking and then you see a bright dot.
It is not blinking like the others. It’s a planet. An app tells you that it is Jupiter. Oh yes, Jupiter which seemed so far away on the solar system chart in your school. It’s right above your head, visible to the naked eye.
Just as you are marvelling at the spectacle ahead of you, you see a movement. A tiny wisp, a streak of white and it’s gone. What was that? A shooting star?
A misnomer at best. It is a meteor. A tiny particle entering our world and vaporising to dust.
To watch this unfold in front of your eyes is spectacular. And when you add many such meteors within a span of a few hours it becomes a meditative experience.
When I first saw the Geminid shower, I was stunned and I couldn’t control my emotions and gasps and shrieks. But this time, after eleven years when I sat underneath the skies – I felt a strong sense of gratitude as colourful streaks of light punctuated the night sky. The world which seemed so far away suddenly was within reach. I felt what truly belonging in the universe meant.
The night was chilly and my companions were excited but I was happy to be by myself. Drifting in and out of sleep on the cold floor, shielded by the cold winds with my trusted gear. I was happy to be out there, under the skies, watching the meteor shower unfold above and around me.
