The Perseids meteors are considered by many people to be the year’s best shower, and often peak at 50 or more meteors per hour in a dark sky. The Perseids tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into midnight, and typically produce the most meteors in the wee hours before dawn. These meteors are often bright and frequently leave persistent trains. It’ll be a spectacular show in our desert skies all this week, peaking Friday. Assignment reporter Mike Lipsitz scopes out where you can go to watch this year’s Perseid meteor shower…
Joshua Tree National Park will reopen its Ryan Campground this weekend to allow more visitors to enjoy the Perseid meteor shower. The 31-site campground, which is usually closed in summer when there are fewer visitors, will be open Friday through Sunday during the annual meteor shower. The meteor shower is expected to peak on Friday night. In addition, Park rangers will offer a program about viewing the Perseid shower Friday night at 8:30 p.m. at the Oasis Visitor Center in Twentynine Palms. The meteors will appear to rain down from the direction of the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky. Perseus rises around 11 p.m. The camping fee will be $10 per night. Ryan Campground will close on the morning of August 13 and will reopen again in the fall. For more information, call 760-367-5500.
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK OPENS CAMPGROUND FOR METEOR SHOWER THIS WEEKEND
