w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
5 5
CELESTIAL OBJECTS—
METEOR SHOWERS, COMETS, AURORAE
Meteor showers can be interesting subject for
night photography. Their appearance is pre-
dictable and it is possible to come away with
photos showing several streaks emanating from
a common source. This source gives rise to the
name for each shower. For example, the Geminids
are usually the strongest meteor shower of the
year and occur in mid-December. Unfortunately,
for those on the western side of the state, this is a
very cloudy time of year and I have yet to see or
photograph them. Another well-known meteor
shower are the Perseids, which peak in mid-Au-
gust. This year the moon will be a waxing crescent
and should set in time to enjoy dark skies for the
shower (possible forest fire smoke notwithstanding).
Montana is certainly not Alaska when it comes
to the aurorae, but we are far enough north to get
some displays low on the northern horizon. This
comes during times of increased solar flare activity and goes
through an 11-year cycle—so some years are definitely better
than others.
Then there are the very infrequent visitations of comets. We
were very lucky in 2020 to have the comet "Neowise" grace our
night skies. It was visible for about two months and made for
some exciting views.
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Neowise over Polson
