The Night of The Shooting Stars is here. Tonight between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. (small hours of Wednesday) you can watch the heavenly shower of meteors - a spectacle you will not forget in your life.First catch the constellation Ursa Major, commonly known in India as Saptarshi, in the northern sky. The seven-star question-mark shaped constellation should not be difficult to locate, being one of the most visible ones in the sky. Isolate the first two stars of Ursa Major and follow them to the pole star to the left. This will give you the absolute north.Work out the four directions with the help of the pole star and stand facing East. Spot the Leonid. It is here that you will be able to witness the unusual shower of meteors left behind by Comet Tempel-Turtle. The meteor shower, in fact, is an annual phenomenon when the earth passes through the comet's orbit, but after a gap of 33 years the comet has left behind a fresh supply, promising a spectacular firework.The meteor particles enter the Earth's atmosphere, burn and produce several shooting stars. Interestingly, all the shooting stars will appear to originate from the same point in the sky, forming a shower with its genesis in the constellation Leo.You can watch it from any place from where you get an uninterrupted view of the eastern sky, but you will be able to get the best view where the city lights do not obscure the stars. Luckily it is the new moon night and the sky is dark.Go to a place where you are assured of personal safety and where there is no interference from the city lights.Scientists and enthusiasts in Pune have chosen different spots. (See VivaCity page).It is a celestial drama. So, you do not have to crowd only one particular place - as tourists in Mahabaleshwar do to watch the sunset from Bombay Point, as if one can have a glimpse of the fireball only only from this place on the Mahabaleshwar plateau. But if you are going out venture out in the wilderness be in a sizeable group that guarantees your collective security.
