Look up! Watch the Perseid meteor showers at this star party

If you don't get what the Perseid meteor shower hoopla is all about, pack up your blanket and head for the Santa Monica Mountains on Wednesday night. A star party at the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve in West Hills will be your guide to shooting stars expected to whiz by at a rate of 100 per hour.

Stars seen as streaks from a long camera exposure are seen behind Arnotegui Hermitage, in Obanos, northern Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015. Some Catholics refer to the Perseids as the “tears of Saint Lawrence”, since 10 August is the date of that saint’s martyrdom. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

(Alvaro Barrientos / Associated Press)

A long camera exposure of Perseid star trails Tuesday at Arnotegui Hermitage in Obanos in northern Spain. (Alvaro Barrientos / Associated Press)

The park, better known as the old Ahmanson Ranch, is a good place for viewing because it's away from city lights. The party starts at 10 p.m., and there will be a telescope for visitors who also want to see Saturn.

The Perseids occur every year at this time, but 2015 is expected to be spectacular because of the new moon (no moonlight to flood the sky). The meteor showers are expected to be at their peak between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, and only a cloudy night would ruin the light show.

CALABASAS, CA - NOVEMBER 18, 2013: A Horseback rider and hikers enjoy the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve on the 10th anniversary of the acquisition of the Ahmanson Ranch on November 17, 2013 in Calabasas, California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, by day. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Meet the party at the preserve's trail head at Victory Boulevard. (Traveling northeast, take the Valley Circle Boulevard exit off the 101 Freeway. Turn left on Victory Boulevard to the end; the parking lot is past the gate.)

Perseid meteor showers and the Milky Way appear in the night sky. The Perseids are expected to peak this year late Wednesday night to early Thursday.

(Brocken Inaglory / Wikimedia Commons)

The Perseid meteor showers and the Milky Way. (Brocken Inaglory / Wikimedia Commons)

If you miss out Wednesday, take heart: You can go to a summer stargazing evening at 8 p.m. Friday. The Perseids may not be so spectacular, but you'll learn about stars and constellations in the night sky.

Info: Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, (310) 858-7272, extension 131

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