12/11/2021 | Elephant Rocks State Park | Belleview, MO
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 it is December and you should dress for very cold winter conditions. It is often colder on the rocks than the average local temperature, so even if it is a mild night, you can become chilled sitting for long periods in the park. Please remember this 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 at the parking lot.
Please be respectful of other visitors' experiences 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 and 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
- This meteor shower was first reported in 1833 by a riverboat captain traveling on the Mississippi River.
- Geminids meteor shower happens every year in December.
- It 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 the Earth passes through every December.
- The shower gets brighter every year as Jupiter’s gravity pulls the dust closer to the Earth.