It was overcast the last two weeks here at Vaanavil Farm & Food Forest. I thought I’d miss the Perseids this year – a real shame, because the conditions were otherwise perfect for a great viewing experience: a new moon, and minimal light pollution thanks to our farm sitting right next to the Western Ghats.

I’ve seen meteors from the farm before – the Geminids, in December – but never the Perseids. And neither my wife, Noushadya, nor my four-year-old, Vanya, had had the fortune of seeing either, yet.

To help us launch our new farm stay at Blooming Farm, we wanted to spend a night there as a family – to experience what our guests would feel. We chose the night of the 12th, at the Koraiyarkulam property, on the way from the Madura Coats factory to Manimuthar Dam.

2 AM on the Terrace

I wake up almost every night, once, somewhere in the middle of the night, and usually fall right back asleep. That night I woke at 2 AM, as usual. I’d decided not to set an alarm – trusting my body instead. But the excitement of a meteor shower happening overhead kept sleep away.

I went up to the terrace. I knew the radiant of the shower was somewhere in the northeast. The east horizon is the only direction with any light pollution here, from the towns of Vikramasingapuram and Ambasamudram. So I crossed my fingers – figuratively, not literally – and waited.

I gave my eyes ten minutes to adjust to the darkness. Nothing, facing northeast. I turned north instead – and I’m glad I did. Maybe it was simply the time my eyes needed to adjust. Either way, for the next ten minutes, I spotted a meteor almost every minute, a few of them bright streaks. Confident that Noushy and Vanya would catch some too, I rushed back down to wake them.

The Fireball

They took a few minutes to shake off the grogginess. We carried a foldable mattress up to the terrace and lay down together. Within a minute, we were gifted a bright, long fireball streaking directly overhead. The sound of pure exhilaration in both their voices said everything. Fireworks don’t come close to watching this happen in the vacuum of space.

We stayed up there for twenty more minutes and counted another 15–20 meteors between us. The Perseids can deliver up to 100 meteors an hour under perfect conditions. Ours weren’t perfectly clear, so we probably saw an effective rate closer to 50 an hour – still more than enough for a four-year-old’s first meteor shower.

Where to Watch Next

Vaanavil has plenty of tall trees, which means the rooftop views – both from our home and from Vaanavil Farm Stay – aren’t ideal. Next year, I plan to clear the rice fields of stubble after harvest, to open up flat, clear ground with an unobstructed view in every direction.
Blooming Organic Farm, on the other hand, has mango, coconut, and gooseberry trees that are still young – no taller than 10-15 feet. For the next few years at least, Blooming will have the better conditions for stargazing and meteor showers.

Slow, Aware, Connected

This is the kind of childhood I want for Vanya. Slow. Aware. Connected to the world we actually live in.

I owe my own fascination with the night sky to a senior of mine in school, Sohail Sayani, who once took me along to a village on the outskirts of Bombay to watch the Geminids. Mumbai’s winter conditions are perfect for the Geminids – if you’re reading this, thank you. In Tamil Nadu, the shower to watch is the Perseids, best seen in the dry conditions of August. If you haven’t caught them yet this year, tonight is still a good chance.

I also think it’s time I upgraded my telescope from my current 70mm refractor. If you’d like to gift a telescope to the guests of Vaanavil and Blooming Farm Stay, Noushadya and I would love to gift you a few free nights at a property of your choice, in return.

Want to experience a night under the stars at Vaanavil Farm or Blooming Farm?

Get in touch to plan your stay.

Regards

Sudhakar