Ever since I was a young girl, I wanted to see a meteor shower. I remember whenever an announcement came of such an astronomical event I would be ready with my little chair (or my mom’s “80’s” style aerobics mat), my father’s binoculars that he would perpetually lose track of, a bottle of milk or water (and as I grew, beer or something of the sorts), and friends who wanted to get together. Yet, luck was never on my side. Something always happened: rain (usually), clouds, too much light around, a tent collapse, being run out by cows, a pack of ultra-intelligent dogs attacking our camp and all of us busy looking for scattered ice-chests and bags, or there was someone who told scary stories or poor cooking…you get the idea. However, after so many years of bad luck I was finally able to take in this beautiful display. Upon first reading the Visitors Center at the Pinacate was going to be open for the recent meteor shower, I immediately made a mental note. Imagine a spot in the heart of the Pinacate and Desert of Altar Biosphere Reserve with no lights nearby and everything shut off; only you, the mountains, the sky and animals that reside there. The probability of light, rain, or clouds was nearly zip. The announced meteor shower was that of Perseides, considered by many to be the year’s grandest meteor shower with the number of falling meteors surpassing that of 50 an hour. The best nights to view the shower this year were the 11th to 12th and 12th to 13th of August. So, armed with chairs, cameras, tri-pods and a couple bottles of wine, we set out in search of a romantic evening. Fortunately, the waxing moon peered over and hid just before midnight, leaving the night sky free of its luminescent influence and seemingly jam-packed with stars of varying intensity.
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