Space: the final frontier… As Captain Spock would say. Outside our beloved planet, everything is in constant motion and change. Every now and then, we mere mortals—who can’t just hop on a spaceship and visit the International Space Station, get to witness some of these phenomena from firm ground.
Whether you’re a space enthusiast or simply looking to plan a romantic date or an outdoor adventure, here’s the scoop on the upcoming meteor showers near Los Angeles this 2024.
Upcoming Meteor Showers Near Los Angeles
While the dates of significant meteor showers remain relatively consistent annually, their peak, or maximum activity, might vary by a day or two.
Lyrids
The Lyrid meteor shower is known for producing a moderate number of meteors over several nights. While the meteors typically don’t leave persistent trails, they can include occasional fireballs. The best viewing occurs in the Northern Hemisphere, where the radiant is visible in the sky at dawn.
📆 When: April 15-30, 2025
🌠 Peak: April 21-22, 2025
Meteor showers near Los Angeles during 2025
Plan ahead for next year and find out which astronomical events in 2025 will be visible near the city, accoarding to the American Meteor Society.
Eta Aquariids
From the equator northward, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower typically produces moderate rates of 10-30 meteors per hour just before dawn. These meteors are fast and often leave persistent trails, though fireballs are rare. In 2025, the viewing conditions will be ideal, as the first quarter moon sets well before the radiant rises, with no unusual activity expected.
📆 When: April 20-May 21, 2025
🌠 Peak: May 3-4, 2025
Southern delta Aquariids
These meteors are typically faint and don’t leave persistent trails or produce fireballs. In 2025, the waxing crescent moon will set before the radiant rises high, making for favorable viewing conditions in the morning.
📆 When: July 18-August 12, 2025
🌠 Peak: July 29-30, 2025
Alpha Capricornids
This shower is generally weak, with fewer than five meteors per hour. However, it is notable for the high number of bright fireballs that can be seen during its active period.
📆 When: July 12-August 12, 2025
🌠 Peak: July 29-30, 2025
Perseids
The Perseids are a well-known meteor shower, especially popular for their activity during warm summer nights. This shower typically produces 50–75 meteors per hour from rural locations. It’s often affected by moonlight, which can reduce the visibility of all but the brightest meteors.
📆 When: July 17-August 23, 2025
🌠 Peak: August 12-13, 2025
Draconid Meteor Shower
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through clouds of comet debris. The number of meteors seen during its peak varies based on where Earth’s orbit intersects the comet’s trail each year. Recently, the Draconids have shown little significant activity.
📆 When: October 6-October 10, 2025
🌠 Peak: October 8-9, 2025
Orionid Meteor Shower
Named after the prominent constellation Orion, the Orionids showcase some of the swiftest and brightest shooting stars, gracing the sky in mid-October and peaking before dawn on October 22. However, viewing the Orionids might be challenging in 2025 due to the full Moon.
📆 When: October 2-November 7, 2025
🌠 Peak: October 21-22, 2025
Leonid Meteor Shower
The Leonids usually present an ordinary display, offering around 10 to 15 shooting stars per hour. However, in rare instances, they have been known to trigger “meteor storms,” inundating the sky with thousands of meteors. There are no forecasts for meteor storms in 2025.
📆 When: November 6-November 30, 2025
🌠 Peak: November 17-18, 2025
Geminids
The Geminid meteor shower is one of the most spectacular of the year. It produces bright and colorful meteors, often with long trails. Unlike most meteor showers, the Geminids originate from an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon, rather than a comet.
📆 When: December 4-December 17, 2025
🌠 Peak: December 14-15, 2025
Ursids
The Ursid meteor shower is a smaller event that peaks around the winter solstice in late December. It produces a modest number of meteors, often seen as faint streaks in the sky.
📆 When: December 17-December 26, 2025
🌠 Peak: December 22-23, 2025
Past meteor showers
Quadrantids
The Quadrantids are one of the year’s strongest meteor showers, known for their bright fireballs and short activity window. For those watching meteor showers in Los Angeles, dark, clear skies and the early setting moon create excellent viewing conditions.
📆 When: December 26th, 2024–January 16th, 2025
🌠 Peak: January 2-3, 2025
What is the best place to see the meteor showers near Los Angeles?
Though you can “technically” see meteor showers everywhere, due to light pollution it’s impossible to have a clear view of it in major cities, like LA. For that reason, the best way to enjoy this phenomenon of shooting stars is to head to nearby places in SoCal, such as:
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree, renowned for its rock formations and Mojave Desert climate, offers optimal stargazing conditions. Its remote setting ensures minimal light pollution, providing some of the clearest night skies in Southern California. With campgrounds, picnic benches, and ample hiking trails like Quail Springs, Skull Rock, and Tanks Trailhead, it’s an ideal spot to witness meteor showers.
Rancho Palos Verdes Overlook
The Scenic Outlook – Vistapoint in Rancho Palos Verdes, offers a unique scenery. It boasts lower light pollution than coastal LA cities. Arrive just before dawn to witness the mesmerizing spectacle of meteor showers, capturing the sky’s changing scenery as the sun sets and enjoying a stunning meteor shower.
Red Rock Canyon State Park
Just two hours from downtown Los Angeles, Red Rock Canyon State Park in Southern California is the prime spot for meteor shower viewing, boasting a pollution-free sky ideal for stargazing. With 50 rustic campsites at Ricardo Campground, visitors can enjoy an unforgettable overnight experience under the stars.
Ojai Valley
Ojai is a picturesque small town with dark sky legislation, making it the closest to Los Angeles with such policies. This regulation aims to preserve breathtaking night vistas by reducing light pollution, making Ojai an ideal weekend retreat for those who cherish evenings under a sparkling sky.
Top Of The World, Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach isn’t just about stunning homes and surfer beaches—it’s also an ideal spot for meteor showers in SoCal. Situated at the north end of Alta Laguna Blvd, Top of the World provides some of the finest vistas in Orange County. This scenic viewpoint and hiking area offer elevated terrain with minimal light pollution, making it an excellent location to witness a meteor shower.
What is a meteor shower?
A meteor shower is a celestial event where numerous meteors are observed to radiate from a single point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds. As they burn up upon entry, they create bright streaks of light known as shooting stars. Meteor showers occur at specific times of the year when Earth passes through the debris trails left by comets or, less frequently, asteroids.
Tips on how to view a meteor shower
One of the most common questions about meteor showers or shooting stars is what equipment do I need… And the truth is, although you can bring your telescope if you have one and know how to use it, under the right conditions, you can see a meteor shower using just your eyes (or glasses if you need them!), always considering:
- Go to an area that has little to know light pollution, away from major cities and urban centers.
- Check weather conditions and lunar phases. Cloudy skies won’t let you see much as it covers the sky, and bright moons (though lovely) may its light can wash out the fainter streaks in the sky, making them harder to see.
- Arrive at your chosen destination during sunset, that way you can have more hours of viewing.
- Search for a spot with an unobstructed and expansive view of the sky, without tall trees or buildings.
- Stay outside for around 20 minutes to let your eyes get used to the dark night sky.
- Bring a blanket, a pillow or anything you need to be comfortable. Stargazing usually takes a few hours and the night can get chilly, even during summer!