I love fun holidays, and today’s is especially awesome.

April 28 is “Kiss Your Mate Day,” which already sounds like a great day to me, but it gets even better when you add “International Astronomy Day.” What do you get when you add astronomy and kissing?

Kiss Under the Stars Day! Now that is something I can celebrate.

Last year, Mr. 4018’s aunt invited our family to join them for a camping trip in Nevada. We went to a spot where we would have a great view of the Perseids meteor shower. And I just have to say… it was AMAZING!

I don’t think I had ever even seen a shooting star before, so watching meteor after meteor shoot across the sky absolutely took my breath away. For reals. I couldn’t help but gasp at each new streak of light.

So here’s what I’m thinking…

The next meteor shower is happening in about a week. So let’s have a belated celebration of Kiss Under the Stars Day on May 6, the “peak day” of the shower. That means it’s the day you should be able to see the most meteor activity.

What do you need to do? Well, I’m glad you asked.

Drive away from the city lights to a dark place where you can get comfy. You want your eyes to stay adjusted to the dark, so be sure you’re not in a spot where car headlights will shine on you. You don’t want trees or other structures to obscure your view.

Now get comfy and settle in. You may want snacks and drinks, a blanket, bug spray… basically bring what you would need to watch July 4th fireworks, but remember it’s May so it’s probably a bit colder than July. Make sure you’re snuggled close to your “mate” for the smooching part of the night. 🙂

When you’re all settled in, look approximately half way up the sky facing east. If you see heavy lights while facing east, turn more to the north or south. Don’t look directly up at the sky, and you should be able to see 10-20 meteors per hour a few hours before the sun rises.

Enjoy kissing under the stars while you watch nature’s great fireworks show.

Have you ever watched a meteor shower?