About three years ago, Martha Ferguson got up at 3:30 a.m. at her home in Old Snowmass to look east. She expected Jupiter and Venus near a thin crescent moon. What she saw instead were two columns of light from a ranch about a quarter mile away. "It was going to be amazing," she told the Aspen Times. "But I couldn't see it."
After that morning she went to the Snowmass Capitol Creek Caucus and founded WildSky Old Snowmass. In February 2026, DarkSky International certified Old Snowmass as an International Dark Sky Community. The Aspen Times reported that this made it one of 20 certified dark sky places in Colorado and one of 273 worldwide. This October through December is the first long-night season since then. The calendar has a few surprises. The best nights don't line up with the most famous meteor showers. The strongest shower of the year starts producing at the same hour Pitkin County's lighting curfew begins.
This Year's Moon Favors the Smaller Showers
Meteor watching depends mostly on the moon, and this fall the moon works against the shower most people know by name. The American Meteor Society's 2026 calendar puts the Orionids' peak on the night of Oct. 21–22, under a waxing gibbous moon that is 76% illuminated. AMS expects "significant interference" while that moon is up. In a normal year the Orionids produce 10 to 20 meteors an hour at peak, and recent displays have been low to average.
The Taurids get much darker skies. The Southern Taurids' fireball component peaks Nov. 4–5 under a 22% waning crescent. The Northern Taurids peak a week later, on Nov. 11–12, with the moon just 5% lit. AMS rates those conditions "very favorable." AMS also notes that when both Taurid branches are active in late October and early November, fireball activity sometimes rises noticeably.
| Night | Shower | Moon on peak night | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 8, evening | Draconids | Near the Oct. 10 new moon | Little moonlight |
| Oct. 21–22 | Orionids | 76% waxing gibbous | Significant interference |
| Nov. 4–5 | Southern Taurids | 22% waning crescent | Generally favorable, fireball-rich |
| Nov. 11–12 | Northern Taurids | 5% waxing crescent | Very favorable |
| Nov. 16–17 | Leonids | 41% first quarter | Fainter meteors may wash out |
| Dec. 13–14 | Geminids | 17% waxing crescent | Generally favorable |
| Dec. 21–22 | Ursids | 91% waxing gibbous | Significant interference |
For the Draconids, EarthSky recommends the evening of Oct. 8 into the early hours of Oct. 9. For the Leonids, AMS labels the peak night Nov. 16–17, while EarthSky suggests watching from late Nov. 17 until dawn Nov. 18. Peak predictions vary by source. On any other night, the darkest windows fall around the new moons. By timeanddate's local Aspen calendar, those are Oct. 10 at 9:50 a.m., Nov. 9 at 12:02 a.m. and Dec. 8 at 5:51 p.m.
The Geminids Pick Up at the Same Hour the Curfew Starts
AMS calls the Geminids "usually the strongest meteor shower of the year." It also calls them the one major shower with good activity before midnight, because the constellation Gemini is well placed from 10 p.m. onward. This year's peak, Dec. 13–14, comes with a 17% crescent moon.
Pitkin County's lighting code sets a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and exterior lighting must be off during those hours, apart from a short list of exemptions. Some exemptions cover homes, such as qualifying timers and motion sensors. Others cover non-residential operating hours, egress lighting, street lighting and multifamily parking lots. That is the code behind the certification. DarkSky International credits the Caucus and WildSky with working alongside the county on an updated countywide lighting code, which includes a code overlay specifically for Old Snowmass. So in December, the hour the best shower of the season gets going is also the hour the county's lighting curfew begins.
The rules behind that, as written in Ordinance 004-2025:
- Curfew exemptions. A photocell with a timer set to one hour or less, or a motion sensor set to five minutes, is exempt from the curfew.
- Color temperature. All lighting must have a nominal correlated color temperature of 3,000 Kelvin or less. Ferguson described that as an "amber" light approaching a red hue.
- Shielding. Except where the code's Table 1 allows otherwise, exterior fixtures must be fully shielded, so that all light is projected below the horizontal plane. Translucent fixtures do not count as fully shielded.
- Indoor lights count too. During curfew, both exterior and interior point light sources may not be visible from the property line.
- Light at the lot line. Light reaching the lot line is capped at 0.2 foot-candles, measured about five feet above grade.
- Prohibited lighting. The code bans lighting meant to illuminate a facade or landscape, as well as colored RGB lights and blinking or flashing fixtures.
The fourth item matters most to stargazers. An uncovered window facing a neighbor's field is covered by the same rule as a floodlight.
"The valley of Snowmass and Capitol Creek are critical wildlife habitats. Maintaining the night sky protects this crucial land and complements the protections we have put in place through conservation easements and additions to wilderness."
Pitkin County Commissioner Jeffrey Woodruff, to the Aspen Times
Holiday Lights Go Up Nov. 15, Between the Taurids and the Geminids
The calendar also sets a date for string lights. Under the code, residential seasonal or string lighting is allowed only from Nov. 15 through Jan. 30. Nonresidential properties get until March 1. Seasonal lighting still has to follow the curfew and light-trespass sections.
That date puts the Northern Taurids, on Nov. 11–12, a few nights before the first string lights are allowed. The Geminids fall about four weeks into holiday-light season, and the 10 p.m. curfew still applies to the strings on every rooftop. On peak night, an evening of holiday lights runs right up to Gemini's best hours.
Ferguson told the Aspen Times that the vast majority of the Old Snowmass community supported the dark sky initiative. She said those who didn't comply mostly did so unintentionally. A holiday timer set to run past 10 p.m. is an easy way to slip up unintentionally.
Older Fixtures Have Until 2030
Some outdoor lights in the Snowmass Creek and Capitol Creek valleys may not meet the current standard yet, and the code allows for that over time. The curfew and light-trespass rules took effect March 1, 2025. Existing fixtures that don't violate those two rules are considered legal nonconforming for five years from that date. Within those five years, every nonconforming exterior fixture has to be replaced or retrofitted. Counting forward from the ordinance date, that deadline is March 1, 2030.
One provision speeds that up. Since March 1, 2025, any building permit application that changes or adds exterior lighting must bring the entire structure into compliance. Swapping one sconce on a remodel can mean updating every fixture on the house. Anyone planning a winter project should confirm the details with Pitkin County. This is a summary of the ordinance text, not legal guidance.
Not every home faces the same rules on unshielded fixtures. In Table 1, the code lets residences in some lighting zones keep up to two unshielded fixtures, each capped at 800 lumens, and allows none in the zone designated Rural and Remote. Total exterior lighting for a single-family home is capped at 35,000 lumens, based on 3.5 lumens per square foot of approved above-grade floor area.
Getting Out to the Dark This Fall
If a meteor night involves driving up Snowmass Creek Road, plan for the trailhead construction. Pitkin County Open Space and Trails and the U.S. Forest Service started building a new Snowmass Creek Trailhead on Aug. 17. During construction, parking is roughly halved to as many as 25 spaces. Vehicles on the access road or outside marked spots can be ticketed or towed. The Forest Service alert for the parking restriction runs through Nov. 14, 2026. That covers the Orionids and both Taurid peaks. The finished lot, with day, overnight, ADA and trailer parking and a double-vault toilet, is scheduled to open for the season in June 2027.
On organized events, the local calendar is quiet this fall. The Caucus's annual picnic and star party took place on Sept. 17, 2024, and Sept. 13, 2025. As of early October, the Snowmass Capitol Creek Caucus events page shows no upcoming events. ACES held its Stars Above Aspen night on Aspen Mountain on Aug. 10, 2026, with telescope stations and a STARLAB planetarium. The Aspen Center for Physics runs its winter public lecture series from December through April. The Caucus page is the one to check for any new WildSky Old Snowmass date.
Until then, the best dates this fall are on the moon chart. Look for Nov. 11–12, with a 5% moon. Then Dec. 13–14, when the Geminids start producing after 10 p.m.
If you're replacing outdoor fixtures, planning a remodel that touches exterior lighting, or wondering how the 2030 compliance date affects a property you own in Old Snowmass, Jessica Hughes is glad to talk it through with you, alongside the county's own guidance. Schedule a confidential consultation.
