Summer calls for long nights spent outdoors, and this June the Bootids meteor shower will zip through the night sky in a dazzling display right around the time of the summer solstice, or the official start of summer!
The Bootids meteor shower is unpredictable, but if you’re lucky it is one of the easier showers to spot, so you’ll certainly want to mark it on your calendar just in case! Here’s everything you need to know about the Bootids meteor shower:
What is the Bootids meteor shower?
The June Bootid meteor shower is a shower that’s active each year around June 26th through July 2nd. Dust particles and cosmic debris shed by periodic comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke, which orbits the Sun once every 6.37 years, cause these illuminated trails in the night sky.
The Bootids meteor shower is weak compared to the late-summer Perseids but has been known to produce unexpected bursts of 100 or more meteors per hour. It’s also slower compared to other showers, with meteors streaking across the sky at just around 40,000 mph, but on the flip side that means they’re typically easier to spot than other meteor showers.
When is the Bootids meteor shower?
This year, the Bootids meteor shower will begin on Sunday, June 22nd and run through Wednesday, July 2nd.
When does the Bootids meteor shower peak?
The Bootids meteor shower will peak overnight from Thursday, June 26th into Friday, June 27th. During this time you can expect one or two shooting stars per hour with the chance of occasional outbursts. According to Oxford Academic, the 1998 Bootids meteor shower had quite the intense outburst, with sky gazers reporting up to 100 meteors per hour.
How can I see the Bootids meteor shower?
The good thing about the Bootids meteor shower is that you don’t need to use binoculars or a telescope to see it–as long as you’re in a dark place meteors will be visible to the naked eye. We suggest heading to one of NYC’s parks or beaches where you can escape some of the city’s light pollution.
Where in the sky should I look to see the Bootids meteor shower?
The shower’s most radiant point will be located in the constellation Bootes, which will be visible high in the western sky after sunset on Thursday, June 26th (~8:31 pm) and into the pre-dawn hours of Friday, June 27th.