Date Night with the Meteors in Cottage Country

We arrived at the North Frontenac Astronomy Park at around ten o’clock that night. It was just a fenced-in lot with an observation pad where people could gather and gaze at the stars, and has very basic amenities - a parking lot, electrical outlets, benches, picnic tables, and washrooms.

But this is said to be one of the best places for astronomy, as North Frontenac has one of the darkest skies in southern Ontario. In fact, in August 2003, it became the first municipality in Canada to receive a “Dark Sky Preserve” status from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC).  Since 1999, the RASC has designated 19 Canadian parks and observatories (including Mont Megantic in Quebec, which also has an observatory) as such. To qualify, parks must meet and maintain strict standards that eliminate or limit light pollution, providing some of the country’s best constellation views.

The parking lot was almost full when we got there. It was indeed very dark but the natural darkness free from the harsh impact of artificial lightning enhanced the beauty of the night sky. We could see the moon, the stars, and the constellations clearly. My husband had to guide me to the observation pad for I do not see very well in the dark. And because there were protocols to be followed, we could not even use flashlights. There were guides with special lighting who walked around and illuminated the path for visitors. Occasionally, vehicle park lights would be seen flickering as cars went in and out of the lot.

As my vision adjusted to the darkness, I spotted crowds scattered on the grassy lot, some sitting on bring-your-own lawn chairs or lying on blankets, and some huddled together as if they are having a mini pow-wow session.  On the cemented observation pads, I saw tables filled with books, pamphlets, and astronomy gear and paraphernalia. Around them were small telescopes and a full spectrum of cameras mounted by members of the RASC and amateur astronomers and photographers.

The onsite astronomers were very welcoming and accommodating. They asked us where we are from, directed us to their table of informational materials and signing book, gave us a rundown of their activities, and described the current sky conditions and what was to be seen at that hour of the night. They, of course, shared their telescopes with us and provided commentaries and backgrounders on what we were looking at – the moon, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and its rings, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way, and the Orion constellation.

One RASC member told us about the history of the group and gave us recommendations on other designated “Dark Sky Preserves” and observatories to visit.

One astronomy enthusiast showed us all the pictures he took from his home telescope that he saved on his iPhone and gave us an impromptu lecture on the constellations, galaxies, and other cosmic bodies that he took images of.

But the main attraction for that night was the spectacle of the Perseids Meteor Shower, arguably the most dazzling meteor display of the year, with a high rate of meteors and several bright ones, according to the astronomers.

This prolific meteor shower is associated with the comet, Swift-Turtle that careens through our solar system at 150 times the speed of sound every 133 years or so, spreading a dirty trail of ice, dust, and sundry space matter behind, with most of them as small as grains of sand. But when Earth passes through the wide band of debris left by this comet’s various visits, our atmosphere collides with these little specks of metal and stone and at the speed of more than 200,000 kilometers per hour, creates an explosive meteor shower that flashes brightly across the night sky.

The shower is named after its radiant or the point from which the meteors appear to hail, that is, the constellation of Perseus.  It occurs every year from around mid-July to late August. At maximum activity during the peak nights, one can expect to see more than 100 meteors per hour.

And true enough, we were treated to marvelous streams of shooting stars blazing the heavens only minutes apart. In between our conversations with the astronomers and other visitors, it was almost expected to get the occasional interruption that sounded something like, “Look! Over there! Meteor!”  And this would be followed by “oohs” and “aahs.” 

We spent a good three hours hobnobbing with the scientific crew and peering at their telescopes. As the night wore on, I started feeling exhausted and cold, but my boys wanted to stay a little longer.  We brought blankets and snacks, and they wanted to join the crowd on the grassy lot to enjoy Mother Nature’s “fireworks” lying down on the ground. I told my boys I’d sleep in the car and reminded them of the time. It was really late. We needed our sleep because we were driving back to Ottawa the following day. They assured me they needed only half an hour or so.

In the car, I reclined my seat but remained awake. The cold temperature and the sounds from people walking back to their cars, loading their gear, and driving away, kept me up. I was too lethargic to get the extra blankets from the trunk, so I slid open the moon roof and just lay there staring up into the sky. It turned out to be a cozy little corner for some private viewing of the meteor shower.  There, in the darkness of the parking lot, the occasional parking lot departures aside, I was all alone with the stars and the planets and the meteors. It was like having my very own movie marathon on a lazy Saturday night, only that the private showing was presented by none other than Mother Nature herself. I felt spoiled.

When my boys returned, we drove back to the lodge in silence and as soon as we got in, we all crashed into bed – them on the queen bed inside the cabin, and me on the couch at the porch. I had a glorious sleep. With the wind, the water, and the woods around me, but protected from bugs and mosquitoes by the screens, it was the perfect compromise between being close to nature and staying away from unwanted elements. It was just as I had imagined earlier that evening.