'The skies were perfect': Perseid meteor shower lights up Manitoba

A Manitoba photographer got an up-close view of an astronomical phenomenon over the weekend.

Justin Anderson was travelling north of The Pas over the weekend to capture the Perseid meteor shower, a celestial event that peaks around the middle of August yearly.

He called Sunday’s shower the best he’s seen since he started focusing on night photography.

“The skies were perfect. They were clear all night long,” he said Monday. “There was barely a breath of wind. So we sat out on the dock on the water all night long from sunset until sunrise watching the night sky.”

Anderson said the meteors were visible every 30 seconds to one minute, and the Northern lights were also visible Sunday night where he was.

“We saw well over three to 400 meteors last night alone. And last night wasn't even the peak,” he said.

Perseid meteor shower in Manitoba (Image source: Justin Anderson)

Anderson, who has been doing night photography for the past four years, says getting outside of the city is the best thing for people to do to capture photos of meteors.

“Even half an hour outside the city is going to do really well just to help your eyes adjust to the night sky,” he said.

Anderson also recommends people join the Manitoba Aurora and Astronomy Group on Facebook for more tips.

Perseid meteor shower in Manitoba (Image source: Justin Anderson)