Park Will Stay Open All Night for Meteor Shower

Stargazers will be able to take in a full night of meteor watching Thursday at Vasquez Rocks County Park in Agua Dulce.

The park normally closes at sunset but will remain open all night for the Perseid meteor shower, which occurs every August.

Paula Reynosa, L.A. County park ranger, will conduct a program and provide commentary.

“It should be beautiful because there will not be a full moon,” she said. “The meteors should show up real well.”

She advised visitors to bring chairs, blankets and binoculars.

The park has hosted meteor-watching before, but Reynosa said this is the first time it has remained open all night for sky gazing.

The Perseid, considered the most reliable of all meteor showers, is characterized by its relative slow motion, reddish appearance and trails lasting several seconds.

Further west, the Devil’s Punchbowl County Park, just off Long View Road between Pearblossom and Valyermo, will also host meteor-watching Thursday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Vasquez Rocks will sponsor a “Dark Moon” night program Saturday from 8 p.m. to midnight with the Astronomy Club of Santa Clarita Valley.

Vasquez Rocks County Area is accessible from Highway 14 via the Agua Dulce exit, two miles north on Agua Dulce Canyon Road. Visitors from the high desert can reach it by exiting the Antelope Valley Freeway at Escondido Canyon Road and driving two miles west.