Meteor Shower Due in Night Skies

One of the better known meteor showers, the annual Perseid shower, will be visible this week, with prime viewing expected in the late evening and early morning hours of Wednesday and Thursday .

The best opportunities for viewing are away from the city lights in the mountain or desert areas. Many local organizations have scheduled special programs, including:

The Los Angeles Astronomical Society will host a Perseid Star Party at its Lockwood Valley site near Frazier Park to view the shower Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. Call (818) 340-4846.

The Moorpark College Charles Temple Observatory will have a Perseid Meteor Shower program at the southeast corner of the campus on Thursday beginning at 9 p.m. Call (805) 378-1408.

In addition to the regular weekly observation scheduled for tonight, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will focus its telescopes on the Perseids on Wednesday and Thursday, starting at 9 p.m. Call (805) 682-4711.

Although the Griffith Observatory has no special events planned, information about the meteor shower will be given on the Observatory Sky Report at (213) 663-8171.

BOTANY

* Plant ecologist Margo Griswold will discuss “Issues in Coastal Sage Scrub Restoration” at the California Native Plant Society, Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mountains chapter meeting tonight at 7:30 in the Brentwood Science Magnet School auditorium. Call (213) 933-8993.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

* Plant and animal life along streams in the Santa Monica Mountains will be explored in a workshop offered by the Wilderness Institute for children ages 4 to 7 on Saturday at 10 a.m. Call (818) 991-7327.

* Children ages 5 and older can learn about trees in workshops led by The Tree People at Kidspace Museum in Pasadena on Friday at 2 and 3 p.m. Call (818) 449-9144.