I saw a shooting star last night. Fast, bright and beautiful, it streaked across the black velvet of the night sky, skimming just above the tree tops. The Leonid meteor shower peaks this weekend, after it’s annual celestial fireworks show that happens every mid November. This year’s viewing window occurs Nov. 17th through the 20th.

There’s no moonlight to interfere with the meteor shower this year, so all you need is a dark viewing location, away from bright lights. That’s hard to do in the city, but if you can just position yourself away from the glare of any lights, you can still see plenty. Make yourself comfortable in a location that gives you a pretty good field of view of the night sky, and focus on any dim star, so your eyes will rest on just one object. That way you’re ready to quickly detect any movement in that area.

The Leonid meteors are named after the constellation Leo because they appear to come from that direction. Look toward the east after midnight, that’s the best time to catch the show, because the earth is turning directly into the meteor stream. There’s nothing more awe inspiring that catching a glimpse of these “shooting stars” streaking across the night sky.

Links:

Astronomy.com

International Meteor Organization

Sky & Telescope

StarDate

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The latest excuse for missing a memo or any office directive…

Why didn’t I respond to your request?

The spam filter ate my email, so I didn’t get your message!

“LOVE” is the first new Beatles album in 25 years! The special edition disc will be released on November 21st in stereo on CD, and on DVD in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound.

After being asked by the remaining Beatles, Ringo and Paul, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, to make experimental mixes from their master tapes for a collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, Sir George Martin, The Beatles legendary producer, and his son Giles Martin have been working with the entire archive of Beatles recordings to create the LOVE album.

The result is an unprecedented approach to the music. Using the master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, Sir George and Giles have created a unique soundscape. The release of this album, which is also featured in the Cirque du Soleil/Beatles collaborative production of the same name at The Mirage in Las Vegas, has been much anticipated.

“This album puts the Beatles back together again, because suddenly there’s John and George with me and Ringo,” said Paul McCartney. “It’s kind of magical. The band is back together!”

“George and Giles did such a great job combining these tracks. It’s really powerful for me and I even heard things I’d forgotten we’d recorded.” commented Ringo Starr.

“The album has the feeling of love and that’s why the title is Beatles LOVE,“ added Yoko Ono Lennon, “They have let everything that is beautiful and daring come out.”

“The music is stunning. I think the most amazing thing about it is that you can pull it apart and all the elements carry with it the essence of the entire song,” said Olivia Harrison.

Tony Wadsworth, Chairman and CEO of EMI Music UK and Ireland said, “George and Giles’ highly original work in creating the LOVE album gives us a genuinely new Beatles album. It makes us respect even more, if that were possible, the creativity and brilliance of the band behind the greatest catalogue in the history of recorded music.”

The 5.1 disc is a DVD-Audio/Video hybrid. The audio is presented in high-resolution 96/24 5.1 surround sound on the DVD-Audio part of the disc. The DVD-Video part carries 5.1 surround sound in DTS and Dolby Digital as well as a PCM stereo mix.

“LOVE” CD/DVD track listing:
1. Because
2. Get Back
3. Glass Onion
4. Eleanor Rigby/Julia
5. I Am The Walrus
6. I Want To Hold Your Hand
7. Drive My Car/The Word/What You’re Doing
8. Gnik Nus
9. Something/Blue Jay Way
10. Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!/I Want You (She’s So Heavy)/Helter Skelter
11. Help!
12. Blackbird/Yesterday
13. Strawberry Fields Forever
14. Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows
15. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
16. Octopus’s Garden
17. Lady Madonna
18. Here Comes The Sun/The Inner Light
19. Come Together/Dear Prudence/Cry Baby Cry
20. Revolution
21. Back In The U.S.S.R.
22. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
23. A Day In The Life
24. Hey Jude
25. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
26. All You Need Is Love

CirqueDuSoleil/www.cirquedusoleil.com

The Beatles/www.beatles.com

Posted by Mike