Perseid Meteor Shower - Sawbill Canoe Outfitters

8/13/21 – Mid August is prime time for watching the night sky, with the Perseid meteor shower as the main attraction. The past couple nights have been mostly clear leaving us no choice but to get out and take advantage of the light show. According to NASA, these meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the north, although they actually originate from leftover debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle burning up in our atmosphere. In fifteen minutes last night, we seen at least a handful of meteors (also known as shooting stars) making it well worth the late night out. -Jessica

Perseid meteor over Sawbill Lake, taken Brian Henry (AKA Mongo).

Milky Way over the south end of Sawbill Lake courtesy of Brian Henry.

Last year the Boundary Waters was designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary by the International Dark Sky Association. According to a 2016 National Geographic article, only 20% of Americans can now see the Milky Way as a result of light pollution.