1) March 23-26, 1996 : Comet Hyakutake.
The first surprise. I saw a "tailed star" for the first time.
I was too young in 1986 to watch the Halley's comet.
2) March-May 1997 : Comet Hale-Bopp.
My best teenage memory.
For a whole 2.5-3 months, Comet Hale-Bopp brightened up the sky.
The end of February first brought it to the pre-morning sky, where I saw a huge-tailed bright comet like a conspicuous stain in the star-studded sky.
By the end of March, this guy was in the evening sky, as almost bright as the planet Venus, with a bushy tail.
3) October 24th, 1995 : 98% Solar Eclipse.
Began at 7:30 am.
Did not need a pin-hole camera : the tress and plants around provided thousands of them.
The 98% eclipse came a little before 9 am.
4) Feb 20th, 2008 : Total Lunar Eclipse.
A classmate in the Sanskrit class earlier in the day told me about it. And for a couple of hours, I watched "Rahu" swallow the moon, and yet she was visible as the coppery red disc.
5) December 1999 : Gemenid Meteor Shower.
It was the night of Dec 13-14. Just an hour's observation treated me and my sister with several Geminids, about one every 3 minutes.
Yet-to-be seen
1) Aurora Borealis/Autralis.
This colorful light show would be an absolute visual treat. If I move to Norway, I would have ample opportunities.
2) Tsunami.
God forbid! I would want to see it, but only after the coast has been evacuated by a warning at least an hour ago.
A Tsunami reiterates how powerful Nature is. And how much energy is in store, yet to be harnessed for the use of the mankind.
3) Leonid Meteor Shower.
I missed the grand Leonid meteor shower in November 1999. It was hardly visible from India. On the night of the highest activity, I saw a lone meteor at 2 am. It was a bright, greenish snake zooming across the zenith.
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Nature is so very beautiful. Why do we dirty it? Why are we destroying the environment? Why do we use plastic? Why are we polluting our Mother Earth? Why are we so ungrateful?
