Orionid Meteor Shower / Shooting Star-Watching Party

OVERVIEW

Friends,

Tomorrow night might just be the best night of the year to see shooting stars.

In a mere 28 hours, a momentous occasion will be upon us. In 1986, an icy celestial body by the name of Halley’s comet passed the Earth. Tomorrow night, we will feast our eyes on the pieces of debris (aka meteors, aka shooting stars!!!) our girl Halley left in her wake. They’ll be coming from the constellation Orion (hence the name ~Orionid~ meteor shower).

To see it, we’ll journey to a land far, far away — from Grounds and from light pollution — to a vast, large meadow (creatively named Big Meadows) off of Skyline Drive, probably the best stargazing location in Shenandoah.*

Luckily, it’ll be one of the darkest nights of the month, as it falls just after the new moon, so we’ll have ideal viewing conditions for the shower. The views are supposed to be best between midnight and dawn, so that’s when we’ll be there.

I was thinking we could grab some late-night grub for the ride up (dare I say…Sheetz???) and then snuggle up with pillows and blankets in the meadow. I’ll bring a bluetooth speaker for music in case we’re collectively feelin’ some meteor shower tunes.

~~ Bring ~~
-Layers
-Pillows/blankets/sleeping bags to snuggle up with
-Shenandoah park pass

~~ The plan ~~
-11 pm: Depart from Echols
-Get late-night food (read: Sheetz) for the road
-Drive ~1 hr to Big Meadows
-Watch stars fall from the sky / make wishes / enjoy the warmth of friendship / take in the majesty of the universe / appreciate our smallness in the grand scheme of things
-Return time tbd

*You know those Shenandoah “Night Sky festival” fb events that you click “interested in” but never actually go to? The photos for those are shot at Big Meadows
*The Big Meadows views do not disappoint:
http://www.guidetosnp.com/web/Portals/0/photos/Misc/MilkyWayLRG_JHMessner.jpg

So, in conclusion, come hang! Your eyes deserve it.