Meteor shower will become brighter today The...

Meteor shower will become brighter today

The annual Perseid meteor shower will reach its zenith across

North America today and Wednesday. Like speedy fireflies in the

night, colorful Perseid atmosphere busters will put on a remarkable

show.

The Perseid meteor shower occurs every August and appears to

emanate from the constellation Perseus. At this time of year, the

earth’s axis is tilted into the debris stream of comet Swift-Tuttle

-- the true source of the Perseid meteors.

Steve Lattanzio, an Orange Coast College astronomy professor, said

people in Newport-Mesa should be able to spot the meteors from their

own backyards, but suggested that darker areas, such as Ortega

Highway, would be ideal.

“The hours just before dawn, 2 to 5 a.m. on Wednesday or Thursday,

will offer the best viewing possibilities,” Lattanzio said.

“If you look toward the north, about halfway up in the sky, you

will be able to see about one per minute,” he said. “As there will be

a full moon, keep it at your back, as the moon will wash out all but

the brightest meteors and reduce by a factor of two or three the

number you can see.”

Edison will shine at Temple Isaiah

Historical impressionist Peter M. Small will portray inventor

Thomas Alva Edison at Temple Isaiah in Newport Beach at 2 p.m. Aug.

24.

Small recreates the life story and inventions of Edison. His

interest in Edison stems from his longtime association with the

Thomas Edison Workshop in the Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles areas.

He has entertained at Michigan’s Thomas Edison Festival, New

Jersey’s Edison National Historic Site and the Edison Memorial Site,

Los Angeles’ Performing Tree and Culver City’s Star Education.

You can visit Small online at www.history-alive.com or call him at

(714) 524-5944.

The program is free to the public.

Temple Isaiah is at 2401 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach. For more

information, call (949) 548-6900.

UCI Observatory offers Mars viewing

View the Red Planet, as it reaches perigee, through high-powered

telescopes at the UC Irvine Observatory from 9 to 11 p.m. Aug. 27.

Mars will achieve it closest point to Earth in nearly 60,000

years.

Observatory staff will present a slide show about Mars, and

amateur astronomers are encouraged to bring their own telescopes.

The event is free. For more information, call Tom Vasich at (949)

824-6455.

The observatory is on UCI’s campus. From East Peterson Drive, turn

south onto Gabriellino Road to behind University Hills housing. At

the top of the hill, turn left and follow the dirt road.

West Newport association meeting set

The next meeting of the West Newport Beach Assn. is scheduled to

take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Lido Peninsula Resort Clubhouse,

710 Lido Park Drive.

Among the items on the group’s agenda are the election of

directors and officers and discussion of the upcoming October public

forum. For more information, call president Jim Miller at (949)

650-3425.

Royal Ballet arriving sooner than scheduled

The Orange County Performing Arts Center has announced that the

dates for the Royal Ballet’s performances in Segerstrom Hall have

changed to July 6 to 11, 2004.

The ballet was originally scheduled to arrive July 13 to 18, 2004.

This one-week change will accommodate the ballet company’s travel

and tour arrangements.

Single tickets for the ballet “Cinderella” by Sir Frederick Ashton

will go on sale about six weeks before the engagement.

The premiere of this new production by the Royal Ballet will be on

Dec. 23.

For information on this or any other Center event, please phone

(714) 556-ARTS or go online at www.ocpac.org.

Fishing contest takes place through August

The Kids Fishing Tournament continues through August at Davey’s

Locker Sportfishing.

The contest is free to enter. It has categories for children 10

and younger and for children 11 to 15.

Children simply have their fish weighed and certified by a Davey’s

Locker crew member.

Prizes are awarded for the three heaviest fish in each of three

categories: bass, barracuda and other.

Davey’s Locker is at 400 Main St. in Newport Beach. Phone is (949)

673-1434.