The Perseids: Part I

I drove out toward Hastings to find a spot dark enough to see some meteors.  There's a park there, Schaar's Bluff, which of course was closed since it was 10:30pm.  But I thought it might be really dark.

Alas, it was only sort of dark.  I could see the Milky Way, but not as brilliantly as I'd hoped.  The Rosemount oil refinery lights, and the light pollution from Hastings and the twin cities, were still visible.  But I did manage to see several meteors, including one that was greenish in color and shot all the way across the sky, lasting a nice long while.  I'm hoping that tomorrow will be even better; I'm going to go up to Stillwater (north of the TC) and meet a friend to watch some more.

And then, on the way home, I almost hit a skunk.  I think I may have run over its tail-- there was a slight bump, but the critter managed to hurry away, off of the exit ramp.  Not, however, without first spraying my car with noxious scent.  Ugh.

This guy: not the skunk I almost hit.