9

Count Them

Despite the thrill of a meteor shower, after an hour or two you might wish for something to do. A great companion task is to count shooting stars.

It’s simple. Just take a small spiral-bound pad and pencil, along with a watch that has an illuminated dial or an alarm. Use simple tick marks (IIIIIII) to count meteors for 5-minute intervals. By using one page per 5-minute period, you can be sloppy and don’t have to look down at the pad (keeping your eyes, obviously, on the sky).

You can do the math later, when the Sun comes up and you’re wishing the whole experience wasn’t over. Multiply your 5-minute totals by 12 to get estimated hourly rates.

If things get really busy, try counting just for 1 minute (and multiply your tally by 60 to get an hourly rate).

Another method is to use a tape recorder and speak "beep" for each meteor. You can also tell the tape what time it is. Finally, if you own Palm-powered handheld computer, you can download NASA's new meteor counting program.

Whatever your method, as the shower progresses, you’ll have an indication for how the rate is increasing. Expert meteor watchers, by the way, count in 15-minute periods when possible. You can try this, too, but if that makes it seem more like a chore, forget it. The point is mostly to enjoy the show.

If you'd like to know more about how the experts do it, and how they figure how many shooting stars were up there but invisible due to the Moon and other light pollution, visit the International Meteor Organization's web site.

• Leonids Special Report: Full Forecast, Photos and More

In our final tip, why you should not look down ...