When to see Perseid meteor shower peak in California this week

Gather round and gaze up; the annual Perseid meteor shower peaks this week.

The beloved sky show will reach its zenith from August 12 to 13, giving Californians a prime window to see 50 to 100 shooting stars per hour.  

This year’s conditions are especially favorable as the peak coincides with a New Moon, meaning skies will be at their darkest. 

While the meteor shower can be seen across the US, according to NASA, “visibility should be ideal” for many parts of California. 

A meteor shower occurs when the Earth’s orbit intersects with the cloud of debris left by an asteroid or comet.

When we collide with that cloud, these glorious remnants, AKA space trash, burn and fall due to the conditions of atmospheric entry. Their immolation creates the glowing trails and fireballs that call the eye up and the mind to awe.

The Perseids are born from the debris field of the Swift-Tuttle comet, which Earth orbits through every August.

Observations of the Perseids date back more than 2,000 years, making them one of the oldest recorded meteor showers.

Named for the constellation Perseus, a tribute to the Gorgon-slaying Greek hero, the Perseids are among the most reliably active and visible meteor showers and are known for producing fireballs, bright meteors that paint the sky with a glowing trail.

Officials said the fireballs provide large explosions of light and color that last longer than the average meteor streak, which is due to them “forming from larger particles of cometary material.”

“With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long ‘wakes’ of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere,” NASA said.

The showers are associated with Perseus because the radiant, or the point from which the Perseids appear in the sky, is located in the direction of the Perseus constellation.

Due to the path of the Swift-Tuttle’s orbit, the Perseid meteor shower is most visible at northern latitudes. As the radiant in Perseus never rises above the horizon in southern latitudes, skygazers in the southern hemisphere see significantly fewer meteors than their northern counterparts

The Perseids are also known, biblically and poetically, as the “tears of St. Lawrence” as they peak near the date of the saint’s martyrdom on August 10.

The Perseids are best viewed under clear skies and away from the ugly interference of light pollution.

Deserts, mountains, and other dark-sky areas offer the best vantage for the meteor shower; online resources including light pollution maps can help you pick the perfect spot.

Experts recommend leaving your telescope or binoculars at home, as it is better to take in the entirety of the sky, rather than a small part.

The meteors can and will appear anywhere, but your best bet is to stare into the darkest part of the sky that your location affords. For best results, lie flat on your back. After roughly 30 minutes, your eyes will adjust to the dark.

Avoid looking at your phone during the meteor shower. It will impair your night vision and disrupt your ancient connection to the above and beyond.

Experts recommend committing to at least one hour of stargazing as there are always peaks and lulls in meteor activity.

Those viewing from Los Angeles will see the highest concentration of meteors between 9 and 11 p.m. on August 12.

Chilao Campground, an hour from downtown LA, sits at 5,300 feet and provides exemplary sky viewing.

Meanwhile, Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu offers 1.5 miles of beach; plan to catch the sunset and stay to see the sky darken and the stars fall.

Joshua Tree and Red Rock Canyon State Park are also peak places for stargazing.

Those looking up from the Bay Area may have to contend with cloud cover as Marine layer fog is forecast to obscure sky viewing along Panoramic Highway in Marin County and Skyline Boulevard in San Mateo County.

There’s also a chance monsoon moisture, including high-level clouds and rain showers, will roll in to spoil the skies.

Those looking to catch stars between clouds can monitor satellites and radar to determine ideal viewing locations.

If the fates are kind and the weather holds, Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County is a popular skywatching site.

Those who are open to taking to the road can find dark skies four hours north of San Fransicso in Lassen Volcanic National Park, billed by the National Parks Service as “one of the last sanctuaries of natural darkness,” offering “unparalleled view of the celestial wonders.” 

While the Perseids peak this week, the shower will keep on showering through August 24, giving us more time for gazing, albeit with increasing moonlight.

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