Lovers of the night sky have about a thousand and one reasons to love living in North Dakota; after all, it’s only one of the darkest-sky states in the entire nation, making it the perfect place from which to view the various wonders that the night has to offer us. This December, what’s quite arguably the best meteor shower in North Dakota (well, and all of North America, at least) is front and center each and every night until it peaks mid-month. Check it out! Head to your favorite dark sky area in North Dakota and look up – the show is incredible.

Look up and revel, folks, it’s time for the Geminids meteor shower!

David Kingham/Flickr From late November until the shower’s peak on December 14th, curious onlookers will be treated with up to 120 meteors per hour - one of the most prolific onslaughts of shooting stars all year.

The approximate time the shower is set to peak (they really do have it down to a perfect science) is 1300 UTC, which is in Universal time.

Jason Hullinger/Flickr For those of us in North Dakota, that’s 6 a.m., which means the best viewing of all will take place just before dawn the morning of the 14th.

The sunrise doesn’t begin until 8:05 a.m. on this day, so the peak is prime viewing!

Thomas Bresson/Flickr The moon will be in waning gibbous phase, meaning it will likely drown out the weaker meteors with its light despite not quite being full.

Set your gaze around the constellation of Orion, which is where the Geminids appears to radiate from.

Shannon Dizmang/Flickr This shower is special for a few reasons, but one of our favorites is that its origins are quite unusual.

An asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon is the cause of the Geminids, while usually, comets are the cause of these events.

Tom Lee/Flickr No matter what the cause is, though, we’re totally here for it; it’s intensely beautiful to witness a sky filled with meteors (sometimes more than two per minute during intense bursts).

Need some ideas as to where to go?

Wendy Miller/Flickr There’s always the amazing Crow Flies High Butte at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The park is already incredible, but it’s made even more amazing when there’s a meteor shower overhead.

North Dakota is already a spellbindingly beautiful place – what’s better than a meteor shower to only enhance the wonder? You can experience this amazing meteor shower in North Dakota from just about anywhere, but we strongly suggest dark-sky locations, or perhaps a night or two spent camping in one of the amazing state parks in North Dakota.

David Kingham/Flickr

From late November until the shower’s peak on December 14th, curious onlookers will be treated with up to 120 meteors per hour - one of the most prolific onslaughts of shooting stars all year.

Jason Hullinger/Flickr

For those of us in North Dakota, that’s 6 a.m., which means the best viewing of all will take place just before dawn the morning of the 14th.

Thomas Bresson/Flickr

The moon will be in waning gibbous phase, meaning it will likely drown out the weaker meteors with its light despite not quite being full.

Shannon Dizmang/Flickr

This shower is special for a few reasons, but one of our favorites is that its origins are quite unusual.

Tom Lee/Flickr

No matter what the cause is, though, we’re totally here for it; it’s intensely beautiful to witness a sky filled with meteors (sometimes more than two per minute during intense bursts).

Wendy Miller/Flickr

There’s always the amazing Crow Flies High Butte at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The park is already incredible, but it’s made even more amazing when there’s a meteor shower overhead.

 

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