The Boldest And Biggest Meteor Shower Of The Year Will Be On Display Above Montana In December
Every year, one of the most spectacular meteor displays dazzles stargazers around the world. The Geminid meteor shower is active in December, typically peaking in intensity on or around December 14th, with its activity ceasing around the Christmas holiday. For the most optimal dark sky viewing in a beautiful location, you should put watching the Geminid meteor shower in Montana on your bucket list.
The Geminid meteor shower is typically the strongest meteor display of the year, often producing between 100 and 150 meteors every hour during the peak of the shower: assuming the skies are clear for viewing them!
Astronomers, enthusiasts, astrophotographers, and stargazers alike delight in the Geminids shower. The meteors are often quite bright and colorful, making for a dazzling display of shooting star trails.
You'll want clear, dark skies away from bright city lights and clouds for optimal meteor shower viewing. Glacier National Park so happens to be a certified International Dark Sky Park, making it perfect for stargazing.
Shown above, the Milky Way shines brightly over Wild Goose Island at Saint Mary Lake in Glacier National Park.
You don't need a fancy telescope to view the Geminid meteor shower — you can view the meteors with the naked eye! Just bundle up, stretch out on a hammock, and gaze upward as tens to hundreds of meteors streak across the sky every hour in a radiant cosmic display.
Of all the places to view the Geminids this December, Glacier National Park in Montana should be at the top of your list. It is a beloved and beautiful park with plenty to explore during the daytime, while you wait for the sky to darken and the meteors to begin their cosmic dance.
You won't regret making Glacier National Park — or really anywhere in Montana — your Geminid meteor shower viewing base.
Have you viewed the Geminid meteor shower from Glacier National Park, or perhaps from somewhere else in Montana? If not, will you be making your trip to Montana this December to view the incredible cosmic display? We’d love to hear your plans or experiences in the comments.
Jessica is a storm chaser, photographer, meteorologist, and writer from Colorado. As a native of this beautiful state, she grew up with a love of the outdoors, and today enjoys hiking, rafting, skiing, and photographing landscapes and storms. She is also a mom to a beautiful little girl and loves life as an entrepreneur which allows her to be fully present for her daughter.
