We’re no stranger to odd sightings in the sky in L.A.: rocket launches, military test fires and omnipresent LAPD helicopters. But Thursday night into Friday morning, you’ll be able to spot a celestial phenomenon that doesn’t involve any aircraft.
The Geminid meteor shower, one of the most dependable such occurrences, will peak tonight. The shooting stars are actually pieces of dust from a rocky object dubbed 3200 Phaethon, according to NASA. As the debris passes through our atmosphere each December, we’re graced with a reliably active meteor shower.
The moon sets just after 10:30pm on Thursday night, and after that you should be able to start spotting meteors, likely between 30 to 40 per hour. Look up at a 45-degree angle and the Geminids should be visible in any direction, with peak viewing conditions between 1 and 2am, according to the American Meteor Society.
There’s good news and bad news for Angelenos. The good: We’re only a few degrees north of the 30th parallel, where the best vantage point to see the Geminids is expected. The bad news: L.A.’s sprawling light pollution blots out much of the night sky. That said, we do have some excellent less-polluted locations nearby. Website Dark Site Finder lists Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park as optimal spots. But if you don’t want to drive that far, you’ll find satisfyingly dark skies in L.A.’s mountainous regions, most accessibly in the Santa Monica Mountains, parts of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and along the beach near the Ventura County line, according to this light pollution map.
Courtesy lightpollutionmap.info