These “meteor showers“ always turn out to be a massive disappointment when I stay up to view them. And I’ve tried quite a few times.
At least this year I have the Timberline zero gravity recliner to look skyward. The sky is dark up here but hopefully no clouds.
Yes. I know. But…
I was in the Chicago suburbs in 1966 during the November leonid shower. It was a cloudy night and after staying up for a little while, I decided to go to bed.
And then this happened:
https://www.space.com/13613-leonid-meteor-shower-peak-1966-storm.html
I also remember Comet Neowise in July 2020. I went out about 4 am to a small hill near my house to observe this comet. I stayed out there for about 45 minutes, then gave up and went back home.
At 5 am I decide to step out into my backyard for one last try. The sky was beginning to get light. And there was the comet! Beautifully hanging there in the early morning sky.
I would rate it as the third best comet I have seen in size and brightness of the tail.
You just never know.
I accidentally saw a great meteor shower one August night, @1977, when I decided to sleep on my apartment deck because it was so hot. It was amazing.
I was in the Canadian Boundry Waters one August in 93 and saw a spectacular night display. It was capped by a meteor blowing apart in plasma heat and splitting into two tracks.
[These “meteor showers“ always turn out to be a massive disappointment]
It always seems to be overcast or if clear, unseasonably COLD on the night of a meteor shower. I have often wondered if the dust cloud blocks some of the sunlight and affects the weather. When my kids need a science fair project I am going to suggest they try to correlate meteor showers and weather changes.