I learned a few things last night as I lay on my back on the roof of my aunt’s house. Namely, it gets cold pretty fast at 1:15am, especially on a cold concrete roof in November, and it doesn’t matter that I’m in Karachi. But I managed. The advice from Joe Rao on space.com on how to prepare for a meteor-shower-watching night was spot on — and wholly responsible for my lasting 45 minutes under the stars. Rao’s article suggested taking heavy blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, groundsheets and warm cocoa to keep warm and comfortable while attempting to watch the Leonid meteor shower forecasted for this week. As a result, I climbed up with a blanket and pillow; they did keep me comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that I started drifting off to sleep. I still wish I had a poolside-style lounger, though.

Rao’s warning that “watching a meteor shower consists of lying back, looking up at the sky . . . and waiting” proved to be just as critical. I wouldn’t have lasted five minutes sitting with my head cranked back — and I would have tried that first if it wasn’t for Rao.

Rao’s advice is mostly universal (especially his pearl on taking a nap beforehand), even though it is clearly aimed at people in colder climes. He doesn’t mention mosquito repellent for the Leonids’ November show, but I discovered that in Karachi it is a good thing to have around.

On a personal note, I also learned that I need to get my ears checked because in the silence of the night (besides the occasional whistle of the street watchman) the-day-after-a-concert-type ringing in my ears was a bit disconcerting, especially considering I have been live-music deprived for months now. (No, the sound in my ears was not from the buzzing mozzies).

My test run last night was useful. I saw two “shooting stars” and now know what to look for (burning comet debris blazes through the night sky in what seems like half a second — at least it did last night) and I confirmed where to look in the night sky (east and east-northeast). Tonight, I’m using extra padding for the ground, taking a jacket, making coffee so I don’t drift off and stopping by the store to pick up some Mospel.

And in case you want more advice, visit The Onion. A few years back it also published its own stargazing tips. They are indispensable and prove that The Onion can take the piss out of almost anything.

Leonid Meteor Shower — Basic Facts By the Numbers

• 17. The day in November for the 2009 Leonid “main event,” which should occur around 21:40 GMT. (In Pakistan: 2:40 am on November 18)
• 42,000. The number of miles away the Earth will be from the centre of the cosmic debris discharged from the Comet Tempel-Tuttle providing the source material for this year’s Leonid shower
• 1466. The year the patch of Tempel-Tuttle material that the Earth is passing through now was ejected from the comet
• 130 to 300. The number of Leonids per hour forecasted to be visible in Asia’s night sky
• 100. The number of Leonids per hour produced in 2008

Source: Joe Rao of Space.com on msnbc