Plan for Perseid meteor shower 2009: Prime spots and camp-outs in California
Move over, total solar eclipse (we might have asked more politely if you’d bothered at all with the Western Hemisphere). The glitzy Perseid meteor shower is coming to town. The annual sky-showering event starts in late July and goes into August, with the peak this year expected Aug. 12, according to Sky & Telescope magazine. On this date, we can expect as many as 60 meteors streaking the sky per hour.
Where to Go
Now, you don’t want to be among sorry masses squinting at the fuzzy L.A. skies for this galactic event, do you? For some excursion ideas, see The Times’ photo gallery of top viewing spots in Southern California, like Joshua Tree National Park, Red Rock Canyon State Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Yosemite National Park.
Get yourself a campsite in or around any of those places, and you’ll have a prime perch for viewing if conditions are clear. If you’d like to make a party of it with fellow gazers, here are a couple of other options for you:
Lake Tahoe camp-out: In Lake Tahoe on Aug. 12, Squaw Valley USA is hosting its annual Perseid Meteor Shower Family Campout, where you can watch the celestial goings-on while sacked out at 8,200 feet. The fee of $65 per adult ($45 per child 15 and younger) includes your campsite, a continental breakfast, activities like ice-skating and swimming, and stargazing guidance.
Mojave Desert party: The Mojave Desert Land Trust is hosting a Perseid Meteor Shower Star Party on Aug. 15, 8 p.m.-midnight. At the Integratron in Landers (about 40 miles north of Palm Springs), the event costs $35 per adult (children 12 and under are free), though if you want to camp overnight, it will cost an additional $25 per person. The Integratron, in case you’re intrigued, is “an acoustically perfect tabernacle and energy machine sited on a powerful geomagnetic vortex in the magical Mojave Desert,” according to the venue’s website.
– Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times
[Photo: A meteor shower seen at Joshua Tree National Park. Credit: Reed Saxon / Associated Press]
11 Comments on “Plan for Perseid meteor shower 2009: Prime spots and camp-outs in California”
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July 23rd, 2009 at 12:34 am
Will the big sky area of Big Bear (Baldwin Lake) be a good place to watch on August 12? What time is best?
July 28th, 2009 at 7:23 am
My friends went to Mount Pinos just over the grapevine to watch this last year - lots of camping sites, not a lot of people, and good viewing. If Im not in Yosemite watching from a mountain top there - Ill be at Mt Pinos.
August 5th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Um…people.. don’t get too excited. There’s rarely 60 an hour. That would be a meteor a minute! I’ve been. Lots of times. For lots of years. It is never like this even in that big “best for the next 33 years” event. Its better than normal and its about who you are with anyway. Just don’t be disappointed that it’s not a constant “shower”. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone whose been. I doubt if this writer has been. The photo above only shows one (bright enough) streak in the course of a 15 -20 minute exposure. Sorry to sound negative and it doesn’t stop me from going to watch though.
August 7th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
One of the best places to go, if you cannot get far out of Los Angeles, is Mount Wilson in the Angeles Crest Forrest. The meteor shower last year started to peak around 1:30 am - 3:30 am on the 8th of August. There were literally meteors about every 3-5 minutes and some were even streaking the sky, going in the opposite direction. It definitely is one to see on peak nights, yes, but I myself have been seeing a lot of them even within the last few weeks, including just last night!
Enjoy one and all!
August 9th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
I live in Victoria British Columbia can you folks ‘out there’ let me know when the best time to ‘look up’ is….now I know anytime is a good time to look up at the sky. I’m just wondering what, where, when….
Thanks…..Good Night to All
August 11th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Should we the human race worry about any metero hitting earth’s crust !?!
August 11th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Is it visible from Long Beach or Huntington Beach? Because I really dont feel like driving far. :D
August 12th, 2009 at 1:11 am
The best time to watch Perseid meteor shower will be between midnight to 5 a.m. in North America. For European observers, the 2009 Perseid meteor shower peak is expected on August 12th at around 15.00 hours UT.
Want to download Perseid meteor shower video from online ? or save Perseid meteor shower video to your hard disk?
This article can help you :
http://www.download-streaming-video.com/flv-downloader-pro/best-time-to-watch-view-2009-Perseid-meteor-shower.html
August 12th, 2009 at 1:23 am
Kathleen- You are most likely looking up at the sky right now. I live in Sooke, and I would say wait until 2:00am. Thats normally when things get crazy :)
August 12th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Want to download Perseid meteor shower video from online ? or save Perseid meteor shower video to your hard disk?
This article can help you :
http://www.download-streaming-video.com/flv-downloader-pro/best-time-to-watch-view-2009-Perseid-meteor-shower.html
September 10th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Aww, I wish I had gone :(