SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | OUTDOORS & ADVENTURE

See the Perseid meteor shower in Southern California

Escape the urban lights and catch the Perseids' Tuesday morning peak from a remote — but local — campground or park.

By Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
10:56 AM PDT, August 11, 2008

The Perseid meteor shower, the marquee night-gazing event of the summer, peaks Tuesday morning. The cascade of shooting stars, originating in the constellation Perseus, will generate up to two meteors per hour.

The best time to see the meteors is after about 1:30 a.m., when the moon has set and much of its glare has been eliminated. The Perseus constellation will be the northeast section of the sky, but the meteors get brighter and longer as they rocket away from the radiant, their point of origination.

Astronomy buffs say the best way to see the meteors is to lie on your back and try to take in as much of the sky as possible.

For the best view of the showers, find a remote, dark area, far from the light pollution generated by major population centers. That's not as easy as it sounds. From a nighttime satellite photo, Southern California looks like one mega population center. To help you, we've put together a few suggestions of nighttime observing spots in Southern California.

Best places in Southern California to see the Perseid meteor showers

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Joshua Tree National Park A meteor streaks through the sky. (REED SAXON, Associated Press) Related: See the Perseid meteor shower in Southern California