Starry Sleepover: Geminids, the Desert, the Night, and You

The mid-December sky show gets some back story, in Borrego Springs.

THE UNIVERSE'S POST OFFICE BOX: If the vast and never-ending cosmos possessed the ability to receive mail at a single address, we might send a thank you card, in gratitude, for the Geminid Meteor Shower. Oh, we're pretty stoked about all the sky shows that come our terrestrially based way, eclipses and Super Moons included, but the Geminids should hold a particularly soft spot in the hearts of all astronomy-loving humans. Why? Well, they take place in December, for one, a time when plenty of songs featuring starry and cosmic imagery are being sung around various pianos, choir boxes, and front doors. But the meteor shower is also a reminder to all of us who practice a very hectic and stressful holiday season to chill way out. And is there any better antidote to the go-go-go, the-toy-store-is-out-of-that-one-toy, I-can't-do-it-all way of modern December life than going deep into the desert and silently staring at the sky for a night? No stress. No calendars. No "but I need tos." The middle-of-the-month pause is all about the eternal, the quiet, and the wonder, things many of us could reintroduce into our mad-dash holiday seasons. Borrego Springs Resort & Spa is on board with this, as they often are with astro-fun events, and they'll be looking up at the Geminids on...

DEC. 13-14: The "Rain of Fire" night -- ohhh, dramatic -- features astronomer Dennis Mammana and a caboodle of amateur astronomers, who will discuss the meteors, their back story, and the best ways to take them in (and snapshot them, if you're so inclined). The resort has a stay-over special on for that night, so you can bed down after soaking in the vast stretches of time and space ("a buffet dinner with the astronomers" is included). And you get a late checkout on the 14th, should your looking-up go into the wee small hours. And how's this: Dec. 13 happens to be a Saturday, so this year's shower is perfectly timed for many meteor mavens who work during the week. Hey, we're going to send the universe a thank you note for scheduling this shower so well. Now, where do we find the universe's post office box again?

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