By Melody Hanatani
Daily Press Staff Writer

CITYWIDE — Santa Monicans hoping to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower taking place out of this world this weekend may have to drive out this city — to an area less congested with light pollution.

The Orionid meteor shower is set to make cameo appearances in the eastern sky between the hours of 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., on Oct. 20 and 21.

While the show promises to be quite a sight, meteor gazers in Santa Monica might miss out on the spectacle if they stick around the confines of the city, where the night sky is polluted from the lights.

Naturally, the Griffith Observatory in Hollywood would seem a natural watch spot, but is still on the disabled list, scheduled to reopen on Nov. 3 following a four-year renovation and expansion project. And while Santa Monica College does have a planetarium, there are no telescopes or observatories on campus.

So what’s a local galaxy gazer to do?

Astronomy buff Robert Lozano, vice-president and founder of the Santa Monica Amateur Astronomy Club, recommends that Santa Monicans drive away from the city into the darker regions of California, like the desert. A beach is somewhat isolated from the city lights, but Lozano warns that the western seaboard might not provide a good view of the eastern sky.

“You need a clear eastern horizon,” Lozano said. “None of the beaches have a good eastern sky.”

He recommends Joshua Tree National Park, which is about 140 miles east of Los Angeles. The park is a bit far from Santa Monica, but drivers can expect to avoid traffic along the way, since the meteor shower is not set to hit its peak until the wee hours of the night.

Reservations are recommended to save a camping space at Joshua Tree National Park.

A closer alternative would be Tapia Park in Malibu Creek State Park. Lozano also recommends Will Rogers State Historic Park.

The meteor shower emanates from the constellations of Orion and Gemini.

Lozano said the meteor shower is a result of Halley’s comet, a big ball of ice and gas that comes toward the sun every 76 years and leaves a trail of debris which the earth passes through twice a year.

“By the early morning hours, we will be facing the east in the direction the earth is orbiting,” Lozano said. “[The shower] will stream away in long straight lines away from the constellation they are from.”