The next meteor shower is the June Bootids, this is the first summer shower. The Bootids meteor shower starts June 22nd and peaks on June 27th and ends July 2nd. The shower’s parent comet orbits our Sun once about every six years or so; the Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke reached a point closest to our Sun in September of 2008 (known as the perihelion when an planet, comet or asteroid is closest to the Sun in its orbit).
In 1998 and 2004 the June Bootids had some amazing outbursts reaching up to one hundred meteors per hour (100 ZHR). However, please don’t expect this same type of activity, but there are a few good things going for this shower for those of us viewing from the northern hemisphere. The meteor shower peaks in the morning of June 27th with a waxing crescent moon in the sky; this means less moonlight will be present and the shower’s radiant will be relatively high in the sky after midnight due west. This is good news because both of these factors make the possibility for seeing more meteors streak gallantly across the sky greater.
There are some that believe because the parent comet of this meteor shower passed so closely to Earth in 2008 that this year will be an excellent year with variable ZHRs as high as one hundred per hour again. I am always trying to be positive and enthusiastic but I also try to remain realistic as well. So I think the shower is worth a view but don’t get your hopes up too high, one never knows when it comes to meteor showers, just get out there and have a look.
Keep Your Head Up!
In 1998 and 2004 the June Bootids had some amazing outbursts reaching up to one hundred meteors per hour (100 ZHR). However, please don’t expect this same type of activity, but there are a few good things going for this shower for those of us viewing from the northern hemisphere. The meteor shower peaks in the morning of June 27th with a waxing crescent moon in the sky; this means less moonlight will be present and the shower’s radiant will be relatively high in the sky after midnight due west. This is good news because both of these factors make the possibility for seeing more meteors streak gallantly across the sky greater.
There are some that believe because the parent comet of this meteor shower passed so closely to Earth in 2008 that this year will be an excellent year with variable ZHRs as high as one hundred per hour again. I am always trying to be positive and enthusiastic but I also try to remain realistic as well. So I think the shower is worth a view but don’t get your hopes up too high, one never knows when it comes to meteor showers, just get out there and have a look.
Keep Your Head Up!
