Shooting stars galore: Stargazers flock to Julian for San Diego Dark Sky Festival

JULIAN, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Stargazers gathered at the San Diego Dark Sky Festival in Julian on Saturday to witness the Perseid meteor shower, a cosmic event celebrated for its spectacular display of shooting stars.

The festival, held at Menghini Winery, attracted skywatchers eager to catch a glimpse of the celestial spectacle, which is known as the strongest meteor shower of the year and has been active since mid-July.

"I hope we get some good streaking ones," said Kathy Handzel, president of the San Diego County Chapter of DarkSky International, before the sunset. Her hopes came true.

Handzel's organization aims to protect the night sky from light pollution and educate the public on its various aspects, including health and environmental impacts. This can include things like disruption of circadian rhythms, wildlife disruptions, plant life, among other factors.

Vivek Vijayakumar, a board member of the Julian Dark Sky Network and a PhD student at the University of Arizona, manned solar telescopes to observe sun spots and solar prominences before the stars emerged. He shared his findings with those interested.

After nightfall, attendees were able to get a peak through the telescopes themselves, though the dark sky provided great viewing conditions even for the naked eye. This was made clear as the crowd, huddled together on blankets and in lounge chairs, could be heard gasping and cheering as objects from space were seen passing by.

Julian is one of three certified DarkSky places in San Diego County, along with Borrego Springs and the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, with efforts underway to certify additional locations such as Fallbrook.

Luisa Cano, leader of the Fallbrook Land Conservancy Dark Sky Committee, emphasized the reversibility of light pollution and encouraged responsible outdoor lighting practices.

“Start with natural darkness; ask yourself: do you need the light at all?” Cano posed.

As the Perseid meteor shower continues to dazzle observers, advocates for dark skies hope to inspire more communities to protect natural darkness and reduce light pollution.

FOX 5's Jennifer Franco contributed to this report.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KSWB. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KSWB staff before being published.