Tuesday Night–Denver, Colorado
Jin and Becky planned to meet at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater outside of Denver. Jin offered to pick up Becky and drive her, but she insisted on driving herself.
Becky thinks of herself as practical and organized. She's always shunned girly things. As a child, she was more interested in math, science, and a good book. She shunned Barbie dolls and dresses. If she was ever near the color pink, she would involuntarily convulse.
She is most comfortable in baggy Levis and an unbuttoned flannel shirt over a T-shirt. You might see her wearing a bracelet or necklace, but nothing flashy or bright. Becky isn't an athlete, but under her baggy clothes, she has a nice body. She doesn't wear makeup and wears her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, because it's the easiest thing to do. Becky likes her long hair.
Tonight, even after dating for two months, Becky finds herself nervous as the womanly behaviors she has avoided for most of her life sneak up on her. She prepared a picnic dinner of tuna sandwiches, celery and carrot sticks, chips, and bottled water. She hopes this is enough. What does one pack for watching a meteor shower? She loaded it all in a small cooler. As an afterthought, she had tossed a blanket in the back seat of her car before driving off to Red Rocks Park.
Becky isn't just Jin's first girlfriend. Becky is the first girl Jin has ever dated. After high school, Jin left Las Vegas for the University of Denver on a full scholarship. He lived in the dorms, but not a co-ed one. He lived in the guy's only dorm for engineering and math students. The University of Denver is a party school. Someone should have told Jin. He filled his time with math, computer engineering, and the robotics club. Jin built robots. He didn't party.
Jin picked up astronomy as a hobby growing up with Curtis and Curtis's father, Walter. Jin's parents never married. His father was out of the picture before he was born. Jin's mom worked nights at a casino and slept during the day. Jin spent most of his time at Curtis's house. It was the closest thing he knew to having a real family. Jin graduated university with degrees in mathematics and computer engineering and earned a master's degree in computer science before beginning a career in his new hometown of Denver.
Jin likes girls, or at least the idea of having a girlfriend, but he'd never tried to find one. He was busy with work, astronomy, or video games.
Jin and Curtis spend their spare time logging in to telescopes through DAPA (NASA's Department of Astronomy for Public Access) searching for asteroids and they stay in touch with a network of astronomy enthusiasts around the world through online forums and ham radio.
It was a typical night on an astronomy forum. Jin provided an answer to some guy's basic question, then out of the blue he got a private message, from a girl! She'd liked the response he gave to the guy's simple question. Jin checked the girls' profile. He noticed she has a degree in mechatronic systems.
"Huh, mechatronic systems, that could be a conversation starter," Jin had said to himself. Jin replied to the private message: "thx." That was how his relationship with Becky had started.
Jin might be new to dating, but he could not have selected a more exquisite site for a date. Red Rocks Amphitheater is built around a geologic masterpiece; a natural amphitheater that consists of two three-hundred-foot monoliths—Ship Rock and Creation Rock—that provide acoustic perfection for any performance. The site has been used since the early 1900s for concerts and has developed into a world-class concert venue. The concert venue, the scenic hiking trails with real dinosaur tracks in the rocks, and the landscape of the park are beautiful and awe-inspiring.
Becky and Jin had planned to meet at the picnic shelter parking lot, north of the amphitheater, away from the lights. The scenery is spectacular. From this location, you look down the hill to see the "Ship Rock" monolith of the amphitheater. Jin arrives first. His drive from Denver is shorter than the drive from Boulder. The sky is clear with only a few wispy clouds in the distance. Jin throws his knapsack, packed with gear, over his shoulder, and walks to "his" picnic table.
When Jin returns to his truck, he sees Becky arrive. He rushes to her car and opens the door for her.
"I brought food," she says, motioning to the cooler in her back seat. "It's not much."
"I'll grab that for you," he says. He takes the cooler from the back seat. "I have my usual spot saved for us. It's just up the trail." Becky grabs the blanket and follows.
Once at the table, Jin sets up the Alcor OMEA–All-Sky Camera and unrolls a viewing monitor. The monitor's built-in stand pops out as he sets it on the picnic table. Darkness is settling in and the sky becomes dotted with glimmering sparkles. Becky sets the food out while Jin aligns the sky cam.
"I can't believe I haven't brought you here before. It's my favorite spot," says Jin.
The table is lit only by the glow of the monitor, but Jin can see Becky well enough. He catches himself staring at her, examining her every detail.
"It's a beautiful location," Becky says as she hands a sandwich to Jin. They sit side by side on the picnic bench eating tuna sandwiches and carrot sticks under the starry sky. Music from a concert in the amphitheater plays in the background.
"Red Rocks Park is almost the perfect viewing site. The elevation is sixty-five hundred feet and we're far from city lights," says Jin. The darkening sky fills with an amazing array of stars. "Look," Jin says, pointing at the sky. "See the long dusty cluster of space clouds? That's the Milky Way."
"It's beautiful. Do you think we'll discover a new asteroid tonight?" Becky asks.
"It might be difficult tonight, but it should be special. There's a new meteor shower, and it's supposed to be spectacular."
"What makes this meteor shower special?"
"Just that it's new. NASA tracks comets as they orbit around the sun. We typically have a few years' notice before Earth passes through the debris field, which creates a meteor shower. But this one just appeared out of nowhere. An amateur astronomer discovered it two weeks ago. We aren't even sure it's from a comet. This meteor shower has been going off for the past few nights. Tonight, it's predicted to be at maximum activity. But nobody knows. It could be a complete dud, a wasted night," explains Jin.
Becky leans into Jin, nudging him. "I don't think it's a wasted night." she says.
Jin is slow to catch on. "Oh no, I didn't… I mean with you it's a special night no matter what happens."
They laugh as a shooting star races across the sky. "Look there. They just named this meteor shower today. They're calling it Bootes P2604 because it radiates from the constellation Bootes, also known as the protector of the Bear or Ursa Major. All the shooting stars should start in that area, tonight." Jin points to the north sky.
"I'm getting a chill. Can you grab the blanket?" Becky asks.
Jin scoots close as he lays the blanket over Becky's shoulders and wraps the other end over his. As he fumbles with the blanket, Becky finds his free hand, touching her hand to his. Jin responds by clutching her hand. Her skin is cold but warms with his touch.
Five bright lights streak across the sky. Then six more blaze the night sky, followed by a dozen brighter streaks in rapid succession.
Becky squeezes Jin's hand. "Are there always so many?"
"This is unusual, but there have been events known as meteor outbursts or meteor storms that produce over one thousand meteors per hour. If it stays this active, we could be in for a great show." Jin releases his hand from Becky's. "Hold on a sec."
He adjusts the sky camera and sends the stream to a server he shares with Curtis. Curtis will see what Jin and Becky are viewing in real time.
Jin sits back, adjusts the blanket, and feels around for Becky's hand. "All set. The first great meteor storm recorded in modern times was the Leonids, back in November 1833. They observed up to two hundred thousand meteors in a single hour. It was a short but a brilliant show," Jin explains.
"I can't wait. How can we even count them all if it's a real meteor storm?" asks Becky.
"I don't know. Maybe Curtis will count them," Jin chuckles. The sky explodes with bursts of streaming light.
"Ooh, wow," Becky exclaims. "That must have been twenty shooting stars, right there. This is great!"
The intensity and frequency increase dramatically. The shooting stars come like waves across the sky. "I've never seen anything like this," says Jin, as Becky wraps her free hand over their joined hands. Jin turns to see her face lit by the glow of the monitor.
Becky moves her mouth close to Jin's ear. She whispers. "This is really special. Thanks for inviting me." Jin turns his head, so his lips can meet hers. She leans in. He leans in. Their lips are about to touch.
The theme from Star Wars plays loud, and Curtis's image appears on the screen. Becky jumps when she hears the music.
"Dude, are you seeing this? It's like the sky's exploding." Curtis smiles as he watches Jin and Becky's startled reaction. "Oh hey, dude and ah… dude-ette. Sorry if I interrupted anything," Curtis says as he leans forward, his face growing larger on the screen.
Jin moves away from Becky. "Hey, Curtis. Are you picking up the stream? It's going gangbusters."
"Yeah, it looked like things were about to get seriously active. I guess I saved the day," Curtis says.
Becky looks perturbed. "Hi, Curtis." She drags out his name in a low tone along with a slow dispassionate wave now that her hands are free.
"What's up, Curtis?" Jin asks.
"We could have a record-breaking meteor shower. I've been trying to focus in on the particle cloud. Normally, everything is too small to see, just ice particles and grains of sand or dust balls, but I swear I can see some incoming. This stuff is made of larger chunks breaking up in the atmosphere."
Jin scoffs. "You can't see space dust, Curtis. This is a big event, but you're getting over-excited."
"Don't believe me? Check this out. A guy in Maine shot this with his fourteen-inch Galaxy Viewer."
An image appears on Jin's monitor, showing what looks like clumps of gravel clinging loosely together in space. "That was taken an hour ago and check this." Another image appears with a wider-angle showing hundreds of small rocky masses. "These were about a hundred thousand miles out two hours ago. I bet we're running right into this rocky road," says Curtis.
The sky above Jin and Becky continues to light up with streaks of meteors rocketing across the horizon. "Should we be concerned for our safety?" Becky asks.
"No, they'll burn up in the atmosphere," answers Jin. "They would have to be a lot larger to hit Earth and cause damage."
"Some of this stuff is pretty big for a dust storm. If we can see asteroids a hundred thousand miles out, they must be at least several meters in diameter," Curtis rebuts.
Another burst of shooting stars ignites the sky. Jin and Becky watch the fireworks above. Curtis can't take the silence. "Did you hear about Perth? There was a daytime fireball, today."
"What happened in Perth?" Becky asks.
"It was on the news stream a few hours ago. There was fireball that lit up the sky over Perth this morning," Curtis explains.
"Daytime fireballs aren't that uncommon," says Jin.
"But what's weird is they announced it like it was a major headline, then they never followed up with any details. I scanned the web. There isn't any additional news about the meteor," Curtis says.
"Maybe there isn't anything more to the story. Fireball in the sky. It's over, get on with your day," says Becky.
Curtis shakes his finger at the screen. "No way, kiddos. I'm telling you something weird is going on. All the government-funded scopes are down. There's a huge daytime fireball in the sky over Perth and no news about it. I tell you; something is going on. It's a cover-up," Curtis hypothesizes.
"Curtis, this is like a couple months ago. Some guy posted a message in the forums claiming a meteor caused the Chilean earthquake and tsunami. You got so excited."
"That's right. They deleted his post, and nobody heard from the guy again. It was a government cover-up. I'm telling you," Curtis says.
"How is a deleted post a government cover-up?" asks Becky.
"How about this? We have the biggest meteor storm in recent history. We have fireballs over Perth, and nobody is reporting it. All the telescopes are down. It's a government conspiracy. I'm telling you."
"Curtis, you're starting to scare me. I hoped to enjoy the evening," Becky says, giving Jin a slight nudge.
"Something big is about to happen. I know it," Curtis says.
The silent fireworks in the sky erupt with a sonic boom and hundreds of flashes stream across the sky. Then a second sonic boom, followed by a third boom in rapid succession. Becky clutches Jin.
Curtis cheers. "Whoa, ha-ha, you hear that. I told you! This isn't a meteor storm; it's a sky storm! The whole frickin' sky is exploding. This is so fuckin' cool. Becky, you picked the right night to get some fireworks. Maybe not the kind you planned, but whoa." Three more sonic booms shock the night sky as Curtis whoops and cheers.
Jin throws the blanket off, pulls Becky up, and gathers their things. "Curtis, it might sound great where you are, but those sonic booms are a too close for comfort. We're gonna clear out of here."
"You're gonna let a little rumble in the sky get you upset? Settle down. It's just a frickin' sky storm!" exclaims Curtis.
"Thanks for your concern, Curtis. I don't think you'd find it funny if a sky storm landed in your front yard," Becky scolds, as she folds the blanket and stuffs food containers into the cooler.
Jin rolls up the monitor. It's still glowing with Curtis's image as Jin stuffs it in his bag. "Hey, where are you going?" the rolled-up face asks.
"Talk to you later, Curtis. The shows over," Jin says as he motions over his band and ends the call.
Jin and Becky hurry down the trail to their cars. Jin helps Becky load the cooler and blanket. When he closes the back door of her car, they are standing face-to-face. Becky reaches for his hand. "He's right, you know. Sonic booms can be generated from meteors as small as a baseball. They won't cause any damage."
Becky pulls the big lug to her. Jin finds himself inches from Becky's face. He doesn't hesitate. He presses his lips to hers. She moves her lips with his as he hugs her. He kisses her deeply and passionately. Becky returns the passion. They kiss until another sonic boom erupts in the sky. They separate. Panting.
"I think I'd better make sure you make it home safe. Let's get out of here."
Becky bites her lower lip, looking up at her man. "OK."