Five Things to Know Today, Oct. 20

Welcome to Thursday. Here are some things to know about the day in Lilburn and beyond.

The weather: Sunny again, with a high of 59 degrees, and a little windy, the National Weather Service says. The low tonight will be around 39 degrees.

Gas prices: The average price for a gallon of regular in the state is $3.411, according to AAA, and in the U.S., it's $3.474. In Lilburn, prices reported to www.georgiagasprices.com for the past 24 hours ranged from $3.31 (at Citgo, 331 Rockbridge Road at Lawrenceville Hwy) to $3.43 (at Shell, 775 Beaver Ruin Road at Burns Road).

Meteors! Tonight and tomorrow night will be the best times to see debris trailing Halley's Comet falling to our planet in a meteor shower called the Orionids.
The optimal time to see them will be in the wee hours before dawn, and a waning moon will get in the way with its light. But meteor fans may still want to try to spot the best viewing for the Orionids this year.

Three dog nights: Did you know that the expression "three dog night" came from Australian aborigines as a term for a night so cold that you needed three dogs to keep you warm? And did you know that the Gwinnett County Police have an animal shelter? Winter is coming, so you might look here for at least one furry companion to keep you warm.

Road trip deluxe: The U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase on this day in 1803, doubling the size of the United States with a land deal that extended from the Mississippi River valley across the Great Plains to the Rockies. President Thomas Jefferson bucked critics and spent about $219 million in today's dollars to buy the rights from France, then asked Lewis and Clark to go check out the new territories in what became a classic American road trip.