Stargazing in Westcliffe & Silver Cliff Dark Sky Community, CO (2026)

🌠 Perseids 2026 — a rare moonless peak. The shower peaks overnight Aug 12 into pre-dawn Aug 13 on a new moon, so the sky stays fully dark all night — the best Perseid conditions in years. Best rates are 2–5 AM local; just look up (meteors appear all over the sky). Before you go: Public towns with no entrance gate or fee - the streets and parks are freely accessible 24 hours, and the Milky Way is visible even from the lighted Main Street thanks to the town lighting ordinance. From these skies, expect a strong showing under clear, dark conditions — not the '100 per hour' quoted elsewhere. Full Perseids 2026 guide →

🌠 Geminids 2026 — the year's strongest shower, on a dark-sky night. Peaking overnight Dec 13 into the morning of Dec 14, on a thin waxing crescent moon that sets early evening, so the sky stays dark for the whole night. Good activity starts as early as 9–10 PM local — earlier than most showers — and climbs to a peak around 1–2 AM. Unlike almost every other shower, the Geminids come from an asteroid (3200 Phaethon, not a comet), producing slower, more colorful, easier-to-track streaks. Before you go: Public towns with no entrance gate or fee - the streets and parks are freely accessible 24 hours, and the Milky Way is visible even from the lighted Main Street thanks to the town lighting ordinance. From these skies, expect a strong showing under clear, dark conditions, outpacing even the Perseids. Dress for winter — it's a cold-weather shower. Full Geminids 2026 guide →