There’s a lot to look forward to in December. Obviously, the holiday season is the main event, with many folks spending their evenings admiring Christmas lights, enjoying hot chocolate, and taking selfies with Santa. But there’s one unique event in December that’s the real star of the show, and that’s the Geminid meteor shower. The sky will put on its very own light show, and you won’t want to miss it! Here’s what you need to know:

The overall duration of the Geminid meteor shower is from November 19, 2022, until December 24, 2022, but it will peak in the early hours on December 14, so that’s when you’ll want to be outside.

You’ll want to get away from as much light pollution as you can, but there will be one big bright light that you just can’t escape.

The moon will be in a waning gibbous stage, meaning it will be about 70% illuminated, which isn’t ideal, but that’s how it goes! Don’t worry, you still have a great chance of seeing the shower.

The Geminids is one of the most incredible meteor showers, with up to 120 meteors per hour during the peak during optimal conditions.

Since the moon is going to be in everyone’s way, don’t expect to see quite that many. Realistically, we are looking at closer to 50 meteors per hour, but you never know! You’ll want to be outside around 2 a.m. for the most optimal conditions.

Set your alarms and put on a pot of coffee! It’s not every day (or night) that you’ll get the opportunity to see such a sky show.

What makes the Geminids special?

Aside from being one of the biggest and brightest meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere (rivaling the Perseids, which occur in August), the Geminids are unique in that its parent is an asteroid rather than a comet.

Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through streams of debris that are left behind from comets and asteroids (their parents). Shooting stars are the result of one of these pieces of debris colliding with Earth’s atmosphere and burning up. The Geminids' parent is an asteroid with the super cool name of 3200 Phaethon. The parent of the Perseids, the popular meteor shower in August, is a comet named 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

What’s the difference between an asteroid and a comet? Basically, an asteroid is a solid rock and a comet is made up of ice, dust, and some rock. Astronomers tend to give comets the nickname "dirty snowball."

Of course, the one unknown factor that can make or break a skywatching show is the weather.

Stay away, clouds!

Finding a dark, open sky away from city lights is key to watching the meteor shower.

The Kisatchie National Forest is a great option, as well as further south along Louisiana’s coast.

Grand Isle, Holly Beach, and Cameron Beach are great options where you can watch the shower over the Gulf while enjoying the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore.

Where will you be watching from? You can always rent a cabin (or pitch a tent) at one of the many Louisiana state parks, they're great for getting away from the light pollution. Keep in mind that Grand Isle State Park is still closed as it continues to clear up the damage from Hurricane Ida in 2021.