Meteorite Shower in the Costa Rica Sky

Don’t forget to look up at the sky tonight. There is going to be a meteor shower easily visible to the naked eye. It’s best to view it from a place without artificial lights. I’m thinking camping.

Binoculars and telescopes won’t be necessary to see this “rain of stars.”  The meteor show originates from the comet Halley and the constellation of Aquarius, according to the instructor of the Planetarium of the University of Costa Rica.

50 meteors per hour are expected. Because the new moon was yesterday, we have increased chances of spotting the meteorites appearing to fall. To determine where the constellation is in the sky one can use the apps Sky Map and Stars Chart.

Other meteor showers are expected between July and August. One will arrive between July 12 and August 19, with a maximum peak around July 28. Another will be between July 17 and August 24, with a peak on August 13.

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The Pools of Costa Rica

There are Olympic or semi-Olympic swimming pools in only 40% of Costa Rica’s 82 national cantons. 42% of these 74 pools are located in the capital. Of the 31 swimming pools in San Jose, they are distributed in 11 of the 20 cantons.

A group of swimmers from Liberia had to train in a river to compete in the National Games. A Special Olympics athlete also trained in a river.

Some wonder if this lack of pools in many areas may influence the amount of drowning that happens at beaches. In 2018, there were 149 deaths from water accidents, according to the Red Cross. Could some of these have been prevented if there were more local pools and swimming lessons?

There is at least one pool in each province but Limón and Puntarenas are the ones with the fewest. There are just 2 in the Caribbean and 1 in Puntarenas. They are private but allow the public to take classes.

Upala is a rural area with great swimmers but they all learn and practice in rivers. They could be even greater with a pool and an instructor.

A semi-Olympic pool costs at least ¢170 million plus maintenance.

Costa Rica National Symphony’s Pays Tribute to Russian Music

The second concert of the National Symphony’s Official Season was a tribute to Russian music. The special repertoire was impressive. The sixth and final symphony of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was presented in an emotional and passionate way.

Russian musical romanticism is dramatic and creative. There is a colorful orchestration with references to urban folklore and the music of the Orthodox church as well. It is melodic and beautiful.

Participants applauded so loud after the false end that the beginning of the last movement was not heard. This last piece turned out to be the best of the entire night even though the beginning was muted.

Manuel Matarrita’s performance of Concerto No. 2 for piano was another excellent part of the performance. Matarrita has proven to be a mature, reliable interpreter. His work is admirable as is his technique.

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Meteorite Sales in Costa Rica

How much would one pay for a piece of history from the first million years of the Solar System? Fragments of the meteorite that fell in Aguas Zarcas are now being found and sold.

Scientists, however, explain that the historical and scientific value is much greater than the economic value. These objects are the only record we have of the ecochemical, isotopic and mineralogical composition of the first million years our Solar System.

The remains are being commercialized between ¢3,000 and ¢18,000 per gram. Residents of the nearby area are looking for the remains even in the rain, desperate to find a piece of 4.56 billion year old history. Some have found hundreds of grams.

Some collectors are offering up to $30 per gram, although more commonly between $5 to $10 are being offered. Roberto Vargas is a meteorite collector from the U.S. He has 60 grams from different countries. He came to Costa Rica to purchase a piece of the treasure.