Awesome. Bloody awesome. Best I've ever seen in my 19 years on this planet. I must've seen well over 200 or 250. I stopped counting after 50-something. Some just streaked by, some seemed to streak and then pop out in a flash like they were exploding. I remember this one big one that split into three parts as it streaked in. Great show!
I went up to this place called Pilot Mountain where there must have been 30 or 40 others laying on the grass and sitting on lawn chairs. There were guys and girls, young and old. On the east coast, the prime viewing time was from 4AM to 6AM. It was cold up there. Pilot Mountain is an odd bit of geography; it's just a giant "knob" out in the piedmont of North Carolina. It's pretty far from the city lights and very tall. FYI, if you've ever seen the old black and white "Andy Griffith Show" you've probably seen Pilot Mtn. in the background.
<a href="http://www.cicada.com/pub/friends/downey/pilot.html" target="_blank">
</a>
I think stargazing is best when drunk; though, cuz some of those hicks were *really* getting into it. This one group of men with James Taylor thumpin from their Cadillac was constantly spewing out a southern drawl of "hey-look-over-there-over-there did-you-see-it-did-you-see-that holy-shit damnit-did-you-see-that-one oh-look-over-there-shit that-one-exploded damn-look-over-there oh-hell-yeah!" Very funny guys.
IMNSHO, this was not another overrated celestial event. It was beautiful. This'll be one night I won't forget for a long time.
I went up to this place called Pilot Mountain where there must have been 30 or 40 others laying on the grass and sitting on lawn chairs. There were guys and girls, young and old. On the east coast, the prime viewing time was from 4AM to 6AM. It was cold up there. Pilot Mountain is an odd bit of geography; it's just a giant "knob" out in the piedmont of North Carolina. It's pretty far from the city lights and very tall. FYI, if you've ever seen the old black and white "Andy Griffith Show" you've probably seen Pilot Mtn. in the background.
<a href="http://www.cicada.com/pub/friends/downey/pilot.html" target="_blank">
</a>I think stargazing is best when drunk; though, cuz some of those hicks were *really* getting into it. This one group of men with James Taylor thumpin from their Cadillac was constantly spewing out a southern drawl of "hey-look-over-there-over-there did-you-see-it-did-you-see-that holy-shit damnit-did-you-see-that-one oh-look-over-there-shit that-one-exploded damn-look-over-there oh-hell-yeah!" Very funny guys.
IMNSHO, this was not another overrated celestial event. It was beautiful. This'll be one night I won't forget for a long time.
. I did see a couple of dozen between 11:00 and 12:00 while I was at work.
). I'd never seen a meteor with a tail that stuck around longer than the meteor itself did. Last night gets my official Cool Stamp(tm) 
