Friday 6 September 2013

Remember when... the police stopped by when we were watching the Perseid meteor shower



The Perseid meteor shower took place in the night of 13th August. Somehow these things that I love to see nearly pass me by every time, if not for some random Facebook status or text informing me of their happening. After the supermoon, I was determined to become a more enthusiastic and knowledgeable sky gazer. So I signed up for the National Geographic newsletter (yep, things just got serious). Except I then proceeded to ignore the emails like all other newsletter style emails. Just as Mark & I had gotten into bed on 13th August, I got a text from my younger sister Willow at 10.37pm...

"There is a meteorite shower!!!!"

No. Way.

(everything I said from this point on was pretty much an exclamation!)

Mark, knowing me, knew exactly what this meant. Shoes on! Coats on! Glasses, Hannah! After a speedy Google search it turned out we weren't going to be likely to see anything up North, but we're not going to let a little thing like location and a terribly cloudy sky ruin it now are we! We stood outside the house for a good few minutes. Quick, we need to go somewhere without streetlights! Where to? To the park! No, not the park, it's low down. Let's just drive! Off we went, me gazing out of the window hoping to see something wonderful. We drove to the beach, but quickly retreated once we saw all the shhh! youths (definitely getting old).

Now what!

We just turned around and kept on driving. I was on the phone to Willow, all she'd had to do was step outside into the garden and was witnessing something amazing! We decided to pull over on the side of the road in a farmer's field entrance. The sky looked like the photo above. Yes! we thought. This is it! Where's the meteors! Eyes peeled! Nothing. We thought we might have seen something, but it was definitely our eyes getting tired. I eventually decided that since we knew which direction the meteor shower was going to be in, why not check the handy little thing on my phone called a compass...

No. Way.

You guessed it, the meteor shower was happening on the opposite side of the sky to the way we were stood! Yes! This is definitely it now! we thought. We gazed and hoped and gazed. It was freezing. We were in our pjs (Mark in a particularly fetching pair of grandad style burgundy check ones).

"Mark!! Hannah!! Mark! METEORITES!!!"

The sky was finally raining a few meteorites just for us, we saw three in total. Magical! And it was in this happy and hyperactive and beyond cold state that I noticed a blue flashing light. Approaching. Fast.

"Mark? Mark. Mark there's a police car. Mark it's slowing down. Mark! It's pulling over!

We had somehow attracted the attention of the local police, scary stuff! Someone had called the police on us! It was at the precise moment as we approached the policeman getting out of his car, that Mark realised the MOT was due. A few days ago... ohmygod! We thought we were in trouble for sure. The policeman asked what we were doing. Outside in our pjs with a camera round my neck. Lucky for us, I doubt the policeman has ever heard "watching the meteor shower" as an excuse before! He took note of the camera, our scruffy selves. He was friendly and asked if we'd seen any, we had a little chat. As soon as he got in his car and started driving away, we breathed a great sigh of relief in unison. LET'S GO! Home! Quick!

Phew!

17 comments:

  1. Haha what a cute adventure/story!! I ,too, would've freaked out seeing the police coming. But wow, what a beautiful sky! I think I've only seen one meteorite shower in my life (or am I imagining that I did- can't quite remember it so clearly anymore). I remember seeing Hailey's comet, though, and feeling so amazed but depressed at the same time that it wouldn't come around for another 75 years and knowing that I definitely wouldn't see it again in this lifetime.

    This makes me want to bring out my telecope (haven't used it in years) and look for something in the sky (it's super dark where I live so I'm bound to see something!) xx

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  2. Oh my, this story is genius :D
    http://coeursdefoxes.blogspot.com/

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  3. This is such a cute story. :)
    I really like your lovely blog. ;)

    dearmisscoco.blogspot.de

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  4. Haha can't believe someone actually called the police on you! Me and my boyfriend went to try and see some in the garden, he says he saw two but I think he was just seeing things, or I'm the worst stargazer ever cos I didn't see any :) xx

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  5. I missed this! I woke up the next day to all of these statuses on FB and was like 'Whaaaaat?' I love that you got up to go and see it, sounds like such a special moment (bar Mr Policeman! That's hilarious!) xxx

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  6. It must have been an amazing sight! I've never watched a meteor shower, or a supermoon! I did see a total eclipse once which was super scary as it turned completely dark in the middle of the day. I was very young at the time, but remember it vividly. Alose, good that the police officer didn't ask to see the car's paper work!! xo

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  7. Oh no, aha! At least he ended up being friendly and not mean! xxx

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  8. Haha, in a few years time you'll look back at this and be glad you captured this moment because it will definitely make you laugh. It's definitely one of those surreal life moments ;)
    I remember waiting up to see this but falling asleep! I hope it was a beautiful end to an eventful evening xxx

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  9. I completely missed the shower, despite hearing about it from a mate who was becoming a bit obsessed about the whole thing...I often do that, though. I'm always missing the big events because something little is going on in my life! LOL. I'm more of a navel-gazer than a star-gazer, perhaps. No, wait, that's depressing. Forget I said that. LOL. xx

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  10. What a cute story. It's always so bright in the city, I miss the skies in the coutryside.

    /Avy

    http://mymotherfuckedmickjagger.blogspot.com

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  11. I missed it, unfortunately! I was doing Work Experience that week so I was so tired when I got in I just fell asleep really early. My friends saw it though! xx

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  12. This was such funny story, I can't believe the police guy came over to you! Haha! I was lucky enough to be at Ollie for it (he lives in the middle of nowhere) so we had a really good view, it's the first time I've properly seen any, as where my house is it's far to bright. I love that you just went out driving in your PJs though to see them though, spontaneous moments like that make the best memories :)

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  13. Oh, wow this was definetely an eventful night, if only for searching for the meteors, let alone the police visit. It is annoying that these astronomical (is that the right word haha!)occurences aren't reported on too often or if they are it's on the day but I love your attitude of going spontenously-I think it makes things more exciting and I'm so glad you got to see the meteor shower :)

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  14. i'd forgotten about the shower until i went out for a walk around my estate at like midnight and looked into the sky and saw two. it always makes me feel so small and they're so pretty, i'm glad you managed to see some eventually even if it did take some work - definitely worth it though i'm sure! i can't believe someone called the police on you though, i'm quite surprised! x

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  15. Haha, things do get serious when you are a member of the Natural Geographic! Rock on sister! I wish I was less lazy so I could get up and see these things. My mum is into astronomy and always dragged me out of bed when I was younger to drive out to anywhere with no city lights to see things in the sky! I am so happy you got to see something! That is so exciting!

    Emma x

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Thanks for your lovely comments! I try to reply to them all :) x