[tony]

Who knows were uujudy is when you need her? Stuff is going on the sky and where is she?

Experts are saying that tonight should still be good for viewing the annual Perseid meteor shower.

You don't need binoculars or a telescope. In fact, those would limit your enjoyment.

Look in the northeast about 25 degrees high or so. That should be the radiant point. You may see one every couple minutes, or you may be rewarded with an unpredicted eruption of a "fire" in the sky. Well . . . not fire, but a lot of meteors.

For those who aren't sure where northeast is:

• I would guess you can start by going out about 9:30 or 10 p.m. and face the moon head on.
  
• Now keep looking at the moon and turn your body so that your head is about half way between looking forward and looking over your shoulder.
  
• Leave your body there and now turn your head so you are facing straight ahead.
  
• Now look about a third of the way up to overhead (30 degrees or so), and keep looking. Check out the star pattern there so that if you look away to gab you can get back there easily.

Once you see the first meteor, you'll find and later ones easily.

Hey, it could be fun! And . . . you know . . . maybe The Villages amateur astronomers will be at the Polo Field and will show you. Anybody know for sure about that?

[zcaveman]

I have watched the Perseid meteor shower for several years. Early in the morning (3-4 AM) is the best. Sit in the back where there are no lights and you can see quite a show

[handieman]

Now keep looking at the moon and turn your body so that your head is about half way between looking forward and looking over your shoulder.

Leave your body there and now turn your head so you are facing straight ahead.

Now look about a third of the way up to overhead (30 degrees or so), and keep looking. Check out the star pattern there so that if you look away to gab you can get back there easily

Dammitt Tony my head became unscrewed. Now what do I do??
Handie

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by tony

..................
For those who aren't sure where northeast is:

• I would guess you can start by going out about 9:30 or 10 p.m. and face the moon head on.
  
• Now keep looking at the moon and turn your body so that your head is about half way between looking forward and looking over your shoulder.
  
• Leave your body there and now turn your head so you are facing straight ahead.
  
• Now look about a third of the way up to overhead (30 degrees or so), and keep looking. Check out the star pattern there so that if you look away to gab you can get back there easily.

Once you see the first meteor, you'll find and later ones easily................

Awright, tony, I tried to follow your directions so that I could see the meteor shower tonight. I was practicing and this is what happened at our house just now.

1. I printed out tony's directions.
2. I found a flashlight so that I could read them out in my dark backyard.
3. I held the flashlight in my teeth as I tried to follow the steps that told me what to do with my head.
4. Mr. Boomer came running out of the house, looking a little panicked.
5. He is OK now. But Mr. Boomer had thought that Linda Blair from The Exorcist was in our backyard.

Where is uujudy when we need her. I know her directions would be a lot better than tony's.

Boomer

[another Linda]

Several years ago I got up in the middle of the night, drove 20 miles to a really dark cow pasture, all to join the Syracuse Astrological Society view the meteors. In the dark I tripped over something (unknown) and landed in something else (wished it remained unknown) and have since decided that the moon is good enough for me!

[Hawkwind]

Now that's funny. What a way with words.

[tony]

Holy smokes!

Luddites!

I should have said, "You put your left foot in. You put you left for out. You put your left foot in and you shake it all about . . . . "

And, lo, the display was not that good.

[Boomer]

Luddites! You are calling US Luddites!

Ohhhh, Mr. Tony, Mr. Admin, Sir, those directions were awful.

And now! What if Handie can't find his head because it came unscrewed when he tried to follow your directions! It might have rolled away or somebody right here on TOTV might have grabbed Handie's head and started playing keep-away.

His head could be lost. He could be out there right now. Driving all over TV. In a golf cart. Out there. Trying to find his head. Like some modern day version of that headless horseman in that story about Ichabod Crane. And it is all your fault because of those lame directions.

And then you probably caused another Linda to have a flashback to that awful night when she got talked into an Astronomy Club meeting in some dark cow pasture. And uh oh. Yuck!

And then. And then. After Mr. Boomer recovered from thinking Linda Blair was in our backyard, spinning her head around, he started telling me all about something to do with ham radio and meteor showers. Something about meteor scatter and he explained it and explained it. I did not understand it, but at least I did not have to try to look fascinated because it was dark out there in the backyard.

And we never did see the meteor showers.

(Whoops! It's after midnight. I am not supposed to be typing.)

Goodnight.

Boomer

[Talk Host]

I'll give you a moon alright.

[tony]

Scientists have such a high wall to scale.

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by tony

Scientists have such a high wall to scale.

Puhleeeeeezzzzzzz, Mr. Tony, Mr. Admin, Mr. Science Guy, Sir, please tell me that you are not going to try to explain meteor scatter. I cannot imagine that anyone who got involved with those directions you gave here last night has had enough time to truly recover from that even.

Boomer

[tony]

Meteor scat is when you come in at night after a walk and you find stuff on your clothes. That is meteor scat.

[Boomer]

Mr. Tony, Mr. Admin, Mr. Science Guy, Sir,

Wrong and Yuck! Please stop trying.

Perhaps before you ever try to explain anything again, you should consult with an English major.

I sure wish uujudy would have been here last night. Had Judy given the explanation of how to find the meteor showers, I bet we would have seen them instead of spending all that time trying to get our heads back on straight.

And now, I must get out of here and go find a physical therapist or a chiropractor or somebody to help me out. I am a terrible typist on even a normal day. But this morning it is really, really hard to write this stuff because my head is still on backward. Thankyouohsoveryverymuch.

Boomer

[graciegirl]

Boy Howdy!

[tony]

Gracie, You missed seeing the meteors last night, and whatever you do, do not
believe these complainers here about the instructions being difficult.

These people have taken it to the extreme. Boomer looks like Linda Blair.
(I suspect Boomer has a vicious aversion to scientists.) Handie is searching for
his head (which I wonder if it was screwed on tight enough to start with) and
Talk Host is hung up on the moon or something. And caveman, bless his heart,
just enjoys the meteors.

No good deed goes unpunished.

And just what is Boy Howdy? Something to do with the puppet?