Joshua Tree Braces for Influx of Stargazers Hoping to View Meteor Shower

California park rangers expect a traffic surge in Joshua Tree National Park—about two hours east of Los Angeles—as eager stargazers prepare to flock to the California desert to glimpse an annual meteor shower, called Perseids, that will peak between Aug. 10-12. The meteor shower is an annual event that attracted heavy traffic and thousands of visitors in 2023, according to the National Park Service. The park expects possible traffic delays of up to several hours this year because of its proximity to big cities like Los Angeles, officials said. According to Joshua Tree’s stargazing advice phone line, the area has the darkest skies in Southern California. According to park officials, the region is also a certified dark sky night area through the International Darksky Association, an advocacy group focused on reducing light pollution....