Last night and this morning were the best times to watch the annual Perseid Meteor shower. Sadly I didn’t know this until about forty-five minutes after the sun came up and I’m not telling you until … well, even later than that. But the meteor showers last for a couple of weeks and even if we miss the “best viewing” it’s good to know just so we can keep our eyes peeled at night or even–God forbid–get up early and watch before dawn when there’ll be the most falling stars per hour.

At night, instead of the traditional falling star meteor, you can see what astronomers call “earthgrazers” which come in low on the horizon and streak across the sky in a blaze of colored light. Earthgrazers are rare, but if you’re lucky enough to see one, you’ll remember it all your life.

I’ve seen them twice. The first time was about fifteen years ago when the Geek and I were in New Mexico. The Geek was there on business and the hostess of the tiny B&B where we were staying had driven me into town for something. About ten o’clock, out in the middle of nowhere, this bright green light streaks across the sky and vanished just the other side of the hill. I looked at her. She looked at me. “What was that???” we both said at once. Personally, I thinking, “Holy crap, that had to be a alien space ship landing. Everything I’ve heard about New Mexico is true!”

When we made it back to the B&B, I fully expected to flip on the news and hear all about the immient invasion. But no, the Geek explained that what I saw was probably just a meteor. But let me tell you, there was nothing “just” about this. It was spectacular, even if it didn’t result in a battle for the fate of the planet.

This past spring on a family vacation on Grand Cayman, the Geek and I saw another earthgrazer on the drive back to the hotel late at night. The people in the car behind us, missed it completely. It was pure luck that we saw it, but I’m so glad we did. The world we live in today is replete with engineering wonders, technological advances and medical miracles. All that stuff is great, but as world becomes more complex, we seem detached from the miracles of nature.

So take a moment this week to look out at the stars. And even if you miss the meteor shower completely and never see an earthgrazer, just enjoy the beautiful night sky.

Have you ever seen an earthgrazer? What’s the coolest think you’ve ever seen in nature? I’ll pick one poster to win a copy of my September release In the Tycoon’s Debt.