Watching the Perseids Meteor Shower from Yucca Valley

The Perseids meteor shower comes around once a year when Earth passes through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. In 2023, we were lucky enough to experience a coincidence a waning crescent moon and the peak of Perseids. Because the illumination of the moon was conveniently low, the view of the Perseids were even more visible especially compared to 2022 when there was a full moon during the peak of the showers.

In order to get the best view (or any view) of the meteors, you'll need to get away from all the light pollution of the cities. Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree National Park is a wonderful place to be for exactly that. Joshua Tree actually has some great information on stargazing and the best views in the park as well.

This year the peak of Perseids occurred the night of August 12 - August 13, though meteors were visible nights beforehand as well (we saw quite a few the night before). On top of that, the Milky Way was also pretty visible across the sky as well, which was fantastic!

Here are some photos from our awesome night under the stars! See if you can spot the meteor!

Stargazing is such a beautiful and peaceful activity, especially when you're with a fun group of pals! Perseids comes once a year, so I highly encourage anyone to set up a quick fun trip to see it next year (and every year after that!)