According to NASA, the Perseid meteor shower, scheduled to peak in mid-August, is one of the best of the year, so Angelenos should get ready to witness the celestial event in all of its glory—assuming they don’t mind putting in the time or miles to find a dark sky.
Although it technically became active yesterday, the peak of the shower will likely take place between August 11 to 12, so you’ve got about a month to learn about best practices.
What is the Perseid meteor shower?
“The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour,” explains NASA. “They occur with warm summer nighttime weather allowing sky watchers to comfortably view them.”
The agency also explains that these specific meteors leave explosion-like events of light and color behind them, which actually last longer than an average streak.
“This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material,” reads NASA’s explanation. “[They] are also brighter.”
When is the Perseid meteor shower?
This summer, the Perseid meteor shower runs from mid July through September 1, with a peak forecasted for the late evening of August 11 into the early morning of August 12.
What is the best way to catch the Perseid meteor shower in Los Angeles?
To maximize your chances of catching the event, you should find an area with minimal light pollution and overall clearness—which is often easier said than done in L.A. Move away from blinding lights and opt for more rural areas. The farther you are from artificial brightness, the greater the chance to see the shower happen in all of its glory. You don’t even need any special equipment to enjoy it.
You’ll want to consult a light pollution map to find areas with relatively darker skies—we think lightpollutionmap.info is particularly easy to use. Pretty much any spot in the middle of the city is going to be too bright (and yes, that sadly includes Griffith Observatory), but you’ll find somewhat darker skies as you move toward the edges of the county: Parts of the Palos Verdes coastline are relatively dark, as are the less-developed areas of Malibu, both along the western coastline by Leo Carrillo (which is open for day use until 10pm, though the shower peaks in the pre-dawn) and inland in the Santa Monica Mountains. Also, the higher elevations of Angeles National Forest, like Mount Wilson, should get you above any weather and mostly free of the worst of the area’s light pollution. Otherwise, you’d need to venture out to Joshua Tree to find a truly dark sky.
In terms of timing, NASA warns that “the Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours” (and keep in mind that the moon won’t set until around midnight during the shower’s peak), so you might want to set up shop wherever it is that you’re going to go see them relatively early.