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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\u2019t make it out to see this meteor shower, I\u2019ve outlined below how to observe others later in the year.<\/p>\n
Before we boldly go into where you can see the Perseids near Los Angeles, I wanted to share what I\u2019ve learned about meteor showers, which I hope deepens your appreciation for them as it did mine. <\/p>\n
What exactly is a meteor shower? <\/p>\n
A Perseid meteor flashes through the sky above a meadow on Palomar Mountain in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County.<\/p>\n
(Ernie Cowan Photo)<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re gazing upward to view a meteor shower, you\u2019re observing space debris, including just \u201clittle tiny almost grains of sand\u201d-sized objects, burn up as they slam into Earth\u2019s atmosphere at a speed of tens of thousands of miles per hour, said Vanessa Alarcon, astronomical observer at the Griffith Observatory. <\/p>\n
In the case of the Perseid meteor shower, you\u2019re watching debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle as it neared perihelion<\/a>, its closest approach to the sun. Comets are \u201ccosmic snowballs<\/a>.\u201d When one gets closer to the sun, Alarcon told me, ice and rock start vaporizing off the comet, leaving a debris field behind. <\/p>\n Earth is orbiting through that debris field, as it does every August. The Perseid meteor shower is named as such because as you\u2019re watching, it appears as if the meteors are emanating from a point in the constellation of Perseus called the \u201cradiant point,\u201d Alarcon said. <\/p>\n How old is the debris you\u2019re watching burn up?<\/p>\n Scientists have found<\/a> that it takes Swift-Tuttle 133 years to orbit the sun once. <\/p>\n I assumed that the current Perseids meteor shower was from debris left over the last time Swift-Tuttle swung by \u2014 and could be seen from Earth with the naked eye \u2014 in 1992. I was wrong and delighted over what I learned. <\/p>\n \u201cIn general, I would say the particles in the Perseids are at least many hundreds of years old, if not thousands of years old,\u201d Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Lab, told me.<\/p>\n As you\u2019re 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<\/a> 69 BC, when Chinese records noted a \u201cguest-star\u201d moving in the southerly direction across the sky. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Where can you see meteor showers near L.A.?<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s 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\u2019s spotted meteors even at Griffith Observatory, right in the heart of L.A.!)<\/p>\n Times contributor Matt Pawlik compiled this great list<\/a> of suggested locations where you can spot the Perseids. I\u2019ll add a few spots to that list. <\/p>\n But first, here\u2019s how I found them. I used a light pollution map<\/a> to determine where the darkest places near L.A. might be. I knew I\u2019d 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<\/a>, I could see that the Perseus constellation would rise from that direction. <\/p>\n The Vetter Mountain lookout tower in Angeles National Forest.<\/p>\n (Jaclyn Cosgrove \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Some spots near L.A. to consider: <\/p>\n If you are lucky enough to spot the Perseids, you can help contribute to science by reporting<\/a> it to the International Meteor Organization. About 4.3 million meteors have been reported to its Visual Meteor Database<\/a>. Just over 8,000 meteors have been spotted this year by 62 observers. You could add to the list.<\/p>\n Also, if you do go out hiking at night, please bring friends or family and pack accordingly<\/a>. Also, make sure someone outside your hiking party knows where you\u2019re going and when to expect you back. <\/p>\n What are some upcoming meteor showers if I miss this one? 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. <\/p>\n (Don Bartletti \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Other meteor showers<\/a> this year include:<\/p>\n I asked Alarcon, whose job it is to ensure Griffith Observatory\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n \u201cPart of it, I feel like, as an L.A. native, is that it\u2019s because we\u2019re always deprived of [night sky], so it\u2019s nice to go out and try to recognize things our ancestors across the world … had a fascination with,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s getting back to human roots.\u201d<\/p>\n Homes sit in the shadows of the Inglewood oil field.<\/p>\n (Jason Armond \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 1. Bike and learn about oil fields in Inglewood <\/b> 2. Hike under the full moon in Long Beach<\/b> 3. Fly a kite in L.A.<\/b> 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.<\/p>\n (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Let\u2019s all take a moment to appreciate the below-average temperatures we experienced in July because that\u2019s ending soon. Times staff writer Hannah Fry reports<\/a> 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. \u201cWe\u2019re not looking at temperatures like we\u2019ve seen in some previous summers, where we\u2019ve gotten to 120 degrees, but it\u2019s certainly looking like 5 to 10 degrees above normal,\u201d said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. We\u2019ll count that as a small blessing, I guess!<\/p>\n If you plan to go hiking, please go early, choose shady<\/a> hikes or consider an evening trek with a friend. Or just go jump<\/a> in the lake. <\/p>\n Happy adventuring,<\/p>\n L.A. County Parks and Recreation recently posted a teaser<\/a> for its annual \u201cPooches in the Pool,\u201d when it allows dogs to swim in county pools before they\u2019re drained for the season. The event is usually sometime around Labor Day. I asked the parks department for further details, but they\u2019re not ready to spill. \u201cBefore a doggy can get soggy with it, we are still finalizing swim dates for our canine chums,\u201d the department\u2019s communications team wrote to me. \u201cWe won\u2019t keep you treading water for too long.\u201d The response at least made me snort with laughter. I will keep you posted.<\/p>\n For more insider tips on Southern California\u2019s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild<\/a>. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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3 things to do
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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<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The Gratitude Group\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n The must-read
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