Astronomy & Stargazing
The Mendocino County night skies are breathtaking year-round for stargazing, bringing astrophotgraphers and astronomy enthusiasts of all skills and levels of passion to Mendocino Magic. You are welcomed to add an astronomy experience to your campout or private event, or come stay with us on a weekend with celestial activities.
ADD ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY TO YOUR EVENT! Learning with friends and family under the night sky has never been easier when Michael Uyttersprot ( @integratedflux ) is your guide to the stars. Our Astrophotography team lead has been an active part of the Mendocino Magic experience for years, and is equipped with numerous telescopes to focus on various components of our vast night sky. Inquire here.
JOIN US FOR THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH - Join us in our annual Perseids’ Meteor Shower tradition as we camp under the best unpolluted view of the night skies! Enjoy tea, telescopes, hot soup, and captivating stories, all while connecting with both nature and the cosmos. As a “class 2” dark sky site on the Bortle Scale, Mendocino Magic offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience the stars like never before.
Video by Edith Donno @azhoneybee https://www.instagram.com/azhoneybee
Photos by Edith Donno from Perseids Campout 2025
More about Perseids Meteor Shower
Check out this SFGATE article featuring one of our panelists Michaël Uyttersprot. The article shares his experience photographing the night sky at Mendocino Magic.
“Mendocino County has a “2” rating on the Bortle scale for measuring the night sky’s brightness — 1 being the darkest, 9 being completely illuminated by city lights — giving stargazers a nearly unpolluted view of the Milky Way galaxy.” See full 2024 SFGATE Article
“Meteors—“shooting stars”—are small pieces of rock or dust that burn up as they strike Earth’s atmosphere. The Perseid meteor shower is caused by dust and debris left in the inner solar system by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.” See full Forbes Article
“As time wears on, this sanctuary for sharing the outdoors nestled within the Mendocino mountains is becoming a California open secret that’s too good to remain hidden.” says travel editor Silas Valentino. See full 2023 SFGATE Article
Save the date!
PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER CAMPOUT 2026:
August 13-17
If you can’t make it to our Perseids Meteor Shower Campout, check out the astronomy calendar on seasky.org for other celestial events and book a campsite then instead!
Things to prep for YOUR campout experience
Food & Drinks:
While light snack options will be available on Saturday, please bring your own food for all other meals and snacks. We recommend a picnic-style dinner for Saturday evening. You can also make dinner down at central camp before coming up the hill, as no stoves are allowed at Methuselah.
Grills: Available for use at the communal kitchen at central camp.
Cooler: Ice will be for sale on-site for $5 (5 lb bag), coolers also available for rent on site.
Other essentials:
Headlamp with a red setting*
Tent, sleeping bad, sleeping pad
Bathing suit
Towel
Lake safe sunscreen
Bug spray
Layers
Blanket to sit on
Cup, mug, utensils, etc, water bottle
Food (we will have grills available for use at the communal kitchen)
Cooler (we have ice for sale on site)
Trash bag (LNT & pack it out)—the Laytonville waste facility is located at 1825 Branscomb Rd, and operates Wednesday-Sunday 10am-4pm.
Red/Green Headlamps are Highly Recommended (available at the Gate House) - we ask that you don’t use bright white headlamps or flashlights during the meteor shower. Headlamps with red or green low-light settings allow our eyes to adjust to see the most from the stars. You can add a red headlamp to your ticket order for $20 and pick it up when you arrive.