| My wife and I sat in camp chairs looking up alongside dozens of other curious stargazers. Suddenly, shouts of awe and joy rang out. We'd all spotted a meteor streaking across the sky at the same time. |
| We'd driven from Los Angeles to the parking lot of the Mt. Pinos Nordic Base, which I'd been told was the closest darkest place to L.A., and were thrilled to find several amateur astronomers and their telescopes dotting the parking lot. |
| We were all lucky that night to catch glimpses of a handful of shooting stars. But you, dear Wilder, have the opportunity to witness far more in the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks Tuesday night into early Wednesday, between midnight and dawn. And even if you can't make it out to see this meteor shower, I've outlined below how to observe others later in the year. |
| Before we boldly go into where you can see the Perseids near Los Angeles, I wanted to share what I've learned about meteor showers, which I hope deepens your appreciation for them as it did mine. |
What exactly is a meteor shower? |
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| A Perseid meteor flashes through the sky above a meadow on Palomar Mountain in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. (Ernie Cowan Photo) |
| When you're gazing upward to view a meteor shower, you're observing space debris, including just "little tiny almost grains of sand"-sized objects, burn up as they slam into Earth's atmosphere at a speed of tens of thousands of miles per hour, said Vanessa Alarcon, astronomical observer at the Griffith Observatory. |
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| In the case of the Perseid meteor shower, you're watching debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle as it neared perihelion, its closest approach to the sun. Comets are "cosmic snowballs." When one gets closer to the sun, Alarcon told me, ice and rock start vaporizing off the comet, leaving a debris field behind. |
| Earth is orbiting through that debris field, as it does every August. The Perseid meteor shower is named as such because as you're watching, it appears as if the meteors are emanating from a point in the constellation of Perseus called the "radiant point," Alarcon said. |
How old is the debris you're watching burn up? |
| Scientists have found that it takes Swift-Tuttle 133 years to orbit the sun once. |
| I assumed that the current Perseids meteor shower was from debris left over the last time Swift-Tuttle swung by — and could be seen from Earth with the naked eye — in 1992. I was wrong and delighted over what I learned. |
| "In general, I would say the particles in the Perseids are at least many hundreds of years old, if not thousands of years old," Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, told me. |
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| As you're watching debris slam into the Earth, consider that a long time ago, someone else was looking up at the sky, watching Swift-Tuttle leave that space dust behind. Humans have been observing Swift-Tuttle since at least 69 BC, when Chinese records noted a "guest-star" moving in the southerly direction across the sky. |
| The comet will swoosh across our sky and be visible to the naked eye in 2126. Perhaps a baby born today will get to be a happy 101-year-old looking up at the sky, watching Swift-Tuttle leave behind space dust for a meteor shower even further into the future. |
Where can you see meteor showers near L.A.? |
| First, let's set expectations. This year, the moon will be at 84% full when the Perseids peaks next week, which will make it challenging to see many of its shooting stars. Alarcon told me, though, that studious sky watchers will still spot meteors. And I personally think seeing even a few is still pretty cool. (Alarcon told me she's spotted meteors even at Griffith Observatory, right in the heart of L.A.!) |
| Times contributor Matt Pawlik compiled this great list of suggested locations where you can spot the Perseids. I'll add a few spots to that list. |
| But first, here's how I found them. I used a light pollution map to determine where the darkest places near L.A. might be. I knew I'd probably be mostly looking in Angeles National Forest. I knew I wanted to find spots at higher elevations to get above the light dome of L.A., along with any marine layers and smog. Lastly, I wanted to find spots with clear views of the northern and northeastern sky because, per Stellarium, I could see that the Perseus constellation would rise from that direction. |
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| The Vetter Mountain lookout tower in Angeles National Forest. (Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times) |
| Some spots near L.A. to consider: |
- The Vetter Mountain Lookout: The lookout is reachable via a 5-mile round-trip hike and offers stunning panoramic views of the San Gabriel Mountains.
- Monte Cristo Campground: This first-come, first-served campground is only at 3,600-feet elevation, but hopefully is far enough from L.A.'s light dome to offer you a nice view of the shower.
- Chilao Campground: This large campground sits at 5,300 feet and offers great views of the night sky. Nearby Mt. Hillyer, which can be reached via an eight-mile round trip from the campground entrance, could also be a nice spot to observe the meteor shower.
- The Buckhorn Day Use Area: If you aren't up for camping, this parking area is above 6,500 feet and could be a nice spot to take a nap and wake up for the big show. If you're open to camping, you could check out either the Buckhorn Campground, a pine-dappled treasure, or backpack to nearby Cooper Canyon Trail Camp, which features hulking trees, bear boxes and a vault toilet.
- The Islip Saddle Day Use Area: Similar to Buckhorn, this day use area is even farther into Angeles National Forest and higher up at about 6,660-feet elevation. And if you're up for backpacking, you could spend an evening at the Little Jimmy Trail Camp, a two-mile trek one way where you'll gain 700(ish) feet before the trail flattens out.
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| If you are lucky enough to spot the Perseids, you can help contribute to science by reporting it to the International Meteor Organization. About 4.3 million meteors have been reported to its Visual Meteor Database. Just over 8,000 meteors have been spotted this year by 62 observers. You could add to the list. |
| Also, if you do go out hiking at night, please bring friends or family and pack accordingly. Also, make sure someone outside your hiking party knows where you're going and when to expect you back. |
What are some upcoming meteor showers if I miss this one? |
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| Visitors relax on a dry lake bed in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and wait for the Perseid meteor shower to unfold. The cloud-like Milky Way glows overhead. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times) |
| Other meteor showers this year include: |
- Orionids: Both experts I spoke to flagged this meteor shower, which is expected to peak Oct. 22-23, as the one to see this year, as the moon will be barely visible, so the sky will be nice and dark.
- Geminids: It is "usually the strongest meteor shower of the year," according to the American Meteor Society, and will peak around Dec. 13. The moon will be a waning crescent, about 30% full, and will rise at 1:07 a.m. PST. Hopefully you'll spot several meteors before that!
- Ursids: For those who don't celebrate Christmas (or would like to spend their final nights of Hanukkah doing some stargazing), you could consider checking out the Ursids meteor shower. This lesser-known shower is expected to peak the night of Dec. 21 into dawn of the following day. The moon will be just barely visible, meaning you'll get a nice dark sky for the show. If you are really feeling adventurous, you could head to Joshua Tree National Park, an International Dark Sky Park. I checked — there are still plenty of campsites available during that time. That'd be an epic way to spend your holiday season!
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| I asked Alarcon, whose job it is to ensure Griffith Observatory's telescopes remain in tip-top shape, what it is about meteor showers that continues to take hold of the human psyche and delight us so much. |
| "Part of it, I feel like, as an L.A. native, is that it's because we're always deprived of [night sky], so it's nice to go out and try to recognize things our ancestors across the world ... had a fascination with," she said. "It's getting back to human roots." |
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3 things to do |
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| Homes sit in the shadows of the Inglewood oil field. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) |
| 1. Bike and learn about oil fields in Inglewood
The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter will host a guided bike and bus tour from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday starting in Culver City. Participants will learn about the environmental challenges created by the Inglewood oil fields and about conservation efforts in the Ballona Wetlands. Attendees who bike will take the Park to Playa Trail 5.6 miles each way, while bus riders will take a chartered bus to various locations for walking tours. Register at sierraclub.org. |
| 2. Hike under the full moon in Long Beach
The Los Angeles Hiking Group will host a four-mile full moon walk at 6 p.m. Friday around Naples Island in Long Beach. The group will meet at the Crab Pot (215 N. Marina Drive). Participants have the option to meet up for dinner, drinks and dancing at a nearby restaurant after the hike. Register at meetup.com. |
| 3. Fly a kite in L.A.
The Gratitude Group's Adam Weiss will co-host a nature walk and kite-making event with Adventure Squad from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday at Griffith Park. The group will nosh on coffee and doughnuts before heading to a forested area of the park to make kites. They will fly the kites at a vista lookout point. A minimum donation of $10 is requested. Register at eventbrite.com. |
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The must-read |
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| The afternoon sun silhouettes Damian Mejia, 9, of Orange, as he jumps through a fountain to cool off from the heat at Lemon Park Spray Pool in Fullerton. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) |
| Let's all take a moment to appreciate the below-average temperatures we experienced in July because that's ending soon. Times staff writer Hannah Fry reports that downtown L.A. could reach the mid-90s by the middle of next week. Woodland Hills and Burbank, both near several great trails, could see triple-digit temperatures. "We're not looking at temperatures like we've seen in some previous summers, where we've gotten to 120 degrees, but it's certainly looking like 5 to 10 degrees above normal," said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. We'll count that as a small blessing, I guess! |
| If you plan to go hiking, please go early, choose shady hikes or consider an evening trek with a friend. Or just go jump in the lake. |
| Happy adventuring, |
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P.S. |
| L.A. County Parks and Recreation recently posted a teaser for its annual "Pooches in the Pool," when it allows dogs to swim in county pools before they're drained for the season. The event is usually sometime around Labor Day. I asked the parks department for further details, but they're not ready to spill. "Before a doggy can get soggy with it, we are still finalizing swim dates for our canine chums," the department's communications team wrote to me. "We won't keep you treading water for too long." The response at least made me snort with laughter. I will keep you posted. |
| For more insider tips on Southern California's beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here. |
