OK apparently the Leonid Meteor Shower is taking place tonight, and this has given me a great idea for casting a simple magic spell to make all your dreams come true. Here it is:
Make a list of all your wishes before going to sleep, and use the power of lucid dreaming to dream about the Leonid meteor shower from the comfort of your own bed!
This will be just as effective as actually watching it, and it has the advantage of being a lot warmer and more comfortable.
More to the point: it occurs to me that certain meteor showers occur every year with predictable certainty. Hence, if there is anything in this whole “wishing upon a star” business, there must be certain days of the year which are always bound to be luckier than others.
So for future reference, here are the known dates of prominent meteor showers for the rest of 2010 and 2011:
| 18-Nov-2010 | Leonids | 115 | 05h55 | NE | Leo | Commet 55P Tempel-Tuttle |
| 21-Nov-2010 | alpha Monocerotids | 4 | 23h13 | ENE | Monoceros | |
| 14-Dec-2010 | Geminids | 120 | 10h26 | NNE | Gemini | Asteroid 3200 Phaethon |
| 22-Dec-2010 | Ursids | 22 | 11h47 | - | Ursa Minor | Comet 8P Tuttle |
| 26-Dec-2010 | Comae Berenicids | 5 | 03h26 | NE | Coma Berenicis | |
| 03-Jan-2011 | Quadrantids | 120 | 22h28 | - | Bootes | Asteroid 2003 EH 1 |
| 08-Feb-2011 | alpha Centaurids | 7 | 18h21 | SE | Centaurus | |
| 15-Mar-2011 | eta Virginids | 2 | 04h20 | E | Virgo | Comet D / 1766 G1 (Helfenzrieder) |
| 06-Apr-2011 | kappa Serpentids | 4 | 02h12 | NE | Corona Borealis | |
| 23-Apr-2011 | Lyrids | 18 | 03h16 | NNE | Lyra | Comet C / 1861 G1 Thatcher |
| 24-Apr-2011 | pi Puppids | 20 | 00h11 | SW | Puppis | Comet 26P Grigg-Skjellerup |
| 08-May-2011 | eta Aquariids | 85 | 01h31 | E | Aquarius | Comet 1P Halley |
| 10-May-2011 | eta Lyrids | 7 | 08h06 | NNE | Lyra | Comet C / 1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock) |
| 28-Jun-2011 | Bootids | 10 | 13h51 | - | Bootes | Comet 7P Pons-Winnecke |
| 29-Jul-2011 | South. delta Aquariids | 20 | 06h58 | E | Aquarius | |
| 30-Jul-2011 | alpha Capricornids | 4 | 18h07 | E | Capricornus | Comet 45P Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova |
| 04-Aug-2011 | South. iota Aquariids | 2 | 16h02 | E | Aquarius | |
| 13-Aug-2011 | Perseids | 110 | 12h36 | - | Perseus | Comet 109P Swift-Tuttle |
| 18-Aug-2011 | kappa Cygnids | 3 | 17h44 | - | Cygnus | |
| 01-Sep-2011 | alpha Aurigids | 10 | 05h15 | - | Auriga | Comet C / 1911 N1 Kiess |
| 03-Oct-2011 | Capricornids | 2 | 12h18 | E | Capricornus | Comet D / 1978 R1 (Haneda-Campos) |
| 06-Oct-2011 | Camelopardalids | 40 | 10h14 | - | Chamaeleon | |
| 10-Oct-2011 | Draconids | 1 | 07h22 | - | Draco | Comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner |
| 22-Oct-2011 | Orionids | 30 | 14h41 | NE | Orion | Comet 1P Halley |
| 07-Nov-2011 | Northern Taurids | 4 | 00h37 | NE | Taurus | Asteroid 2004 TG10 |
| 07-Nov-2011 | Southern Taurids | 7 | 00h37 | NE | Taurus | Comet 2P Encke |
| 18-Nov-2011 | Leonids | 115 | 12h04 | NE | Leo | Commet 55P Tempel-Tuttle |
| 22-Nov-2011 | alpha Monocerotids | 4 | 05h22 | ENE | Monoceros | |
| 14-Dec-2011 | Geminids | 120 | 16h35 | NNE | Gemini | Asteroid 3200 Phaethon |
| 23-Dec-2011 | Ursids | 10 | 10h55 | - | Ursa Minor | Comet 8P Tuttle |
| 26-Dec-2011 | Comae Berenicids | 5 | 09h35 | NE | Coma Berenicis |
Source: Bronberg Weather Station.
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