Steve Cameron blog: Look, up in the sky!

Still here.

The strangest things are happening – here at home and out in that big coronavirus world.

First of all (and least important), I managed to get some very uncomfortable sunburn on my face.

Really cooked it, which hurts.

I got out on the golf course over the weekend, didn’t wear a hat, and forgot that you can scald yourself in North Idaho even when it’s just 60 degrees.

The sun is only about two miles away.

OK, maybe I’m exaggerating just a tad there, but you all know how easy it is to get burned around here.

First time out on the course this year, that’s my only excuse.

I forgot the “North Idaho Skin Barbecue Syndrome.”

Happily, a couple days of healing and lots of gooey stuff on my cheeks are doing the trick.

Meanwhile, you look at the news and discover that the price of oil has...

Well, there’s NO price for oil.

Demand during the lockdown has dropped so much, oil producers are having to just dump the stuff.

Wish I could feel sorry for them, but giant oil companies have gouged us for so much money over the years that all I can do is laugh and say: “What goes around, comes around.”

Or do I have that backwards?

No matter.

The truly big item this week, for all of us who would love some peace, some tranquility and so forth, is going on over our heads.

Literally.

The Lyrid Meteor Shower, our first of the decade, began on Sunday and is expected to peak on Wednesday night.

If you want a bit of calm and beauty in this crazy time, hope the weather cooperates, find a way to seek out some darkness and enjoy one of nature’s true wonders.

I’m not a meteor expert, so I’ll let CNN science reporter Ashley Strickland help you out with some background – plus easy guidelines on how to view the night sky...

“There hasn’t been a meteor shower to light up the sky since early January, and this one will be visible around the globe — and unlike 2019, the waning moon will allow a better view of these bright meteors,” Strickland says.

“Late evening and early morning hours, between midnight and 4 a.m. to 5 a.m., may be the best time to see shooting stars, or meteors that burn up in our atmosphere, according to the American Meteor Society.

“Before midnight will be the best time to see slower, longer meteors that streak horizontally across the sky. Some of them have trails that glow for seconds after the meteor has disappeared.

“Typically, the Lyrid meteor shower can showcase between 10 and 20 meteors per hour during the peak, but it’s difficult to estimate how many will be visible.

“On Wednesday night during the peak of the shower, about 10 meteors will be visible per hour.

“Find an open area with a wide view of the sky. Make sure you have a chair or blanket so you can look straight up.

“And give your eyes about 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness — without looking at your phone — so meteors are easier to spot.”

Oh, brother, do we need something like these Lyrid meteors.

Context: These very meteors were first observed a mere 2,700 years ago.

Let’s think about that.

Please.

Everyone needs a reminder that our little planet has been around a long time, and it’s going to survive this pandemic as it has all other woes.

Just go watch the sky, and imagine a tiny sense of eternity.

The blog appears each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. You’re welcome to join. Any time, on any subject. Or with any opinion that doesn’t get us sued.

scameron@cdapress.com

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