Pursuing the Perseids

but finding hunky male images

This week saw another quick trip to the hospital for a minor procedure. Scheduled for late afternoon, it was deemed best to stay in the hospital overnight rather than travel an hour to get home. At the last moment I realized I would be missing the Perseid meteor shower. Of course, it’s almost entirely a Northern Hemisphere show, but over the years I’ve usually been able to spot a meteor or two at our place in the Australian countryside.

The Perseid Shower, you may not know, is sometimes associated with the god Priapus, who was believed by the Romans to have fertilized the fields by ejaculating on them once a year on the date the shower peaks.

Last time I was in this hospital, my room provided a great view of the sky, facing away from the distant lights of Melbourne. So I was hopeful a little stargazing might still be possible from my hospital window. As I was wheeled into my room, disappointment settled in. I saw nothing but a great wall of windows with a tiny patch of sky just at the top (see above). Not surprisingly, I fell soundly asleep almost immediately

Then, at 3 am, a few hours before dawn, I came awake. Wide awake. I soon found myself watching for meteors in that little patch of sky, as Orion’s Belt slowly rose into view. (as you saw in the photo above).