12/15/2023 | Elephant Rocks State Park | Belleview, MO
This event has been canceled due to forecasts of cloudy skies and a chance of rain. Hopefully, next year’s weather will be better.
To mark this year’s most spectacular meteor shower, Elephant Rocks State Park will be open to the public for a rare after-dark event. Park staff will be available to direct you to the best and safest areas to view the shower.
Please remember that it is December and you should dress for very cold conditions. The temperature on the rocks is often lower than the average local temperature, so even if it is a mild night, you can become chilled sitting for long periods in the park. Also keep in mind that Elephant Rocks is a carry-in, carry-out park; please bring in only what you will be able to carry out when you leave. Trash receptacles are provided in the parking lot.
Please be respectful of other visitors and avoid excessive use of artificial lights and excessive noise during the event. No tents or other invasive camping equipment such as propane heaters or lanterns, will be allowed, but you can bring portable chairs and blankets to keep warm. Absolutely no campfires will be allowed.
So, if you like stargazing or light shows and are able to brave the cold, this is your event – come out and create a lifetime memory at Elephant Rocks State Park.
About the shower:
- The Geminids meteor shower was first reported in 1833 by a riverboat captain traveling on the Mississippi River.
- This shower happens every year in December.
- The shower is dust from an asteroid, not a comet. The asteroid is named 3200 Phaethon.
- The asteroid orbits the sun every 1.4 years and leaves a trail of dust through which the Earth passes every December.
- The shower gets brighter every year as Jupiter’s gravity pulls the dust closer to the Earth.
- The best viewing is high in the southern sky near the constellation Gemini.
- This shower can be viewed with the naked eye. No telescopes or binoculars are needed, but you are welcome to bring yours if you want.
Event time: 5 p.m. - midnight
Elephant Rocks State Park is located at: