June Bootids Meteor Shower
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!
- Meteor Mark
on May 29th, 2009 at 3:53 am
I am so stoked….I cant wait til June!!
on May 30th, 2009 at 6:52 am
Saw a few last night. Didnt realise there was a shower in June so was quite surprised to see some whilst enjoying a drink in the garden with friends
on May 30th, 2009 at 6:53 am
oh and I just realied its May not June but they were from the right area lol
on Jun 2nd, 2009 at 6:19 am
Hi, last night at approximately 9.30 pm whilst it was still light my partner and I saw something strange in the sky. My first thought was that it could be a comet but when we went upstairs I saw another one. We both dont know much about comets or meteors. We live in Stansted, it definatley 100% wasnt a plane but we would love to know what it actually was.
on Jun 2nd, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Karen,
Meteors are not still. Comets can appear to be still in the sky. As far as I know there aren’t any visible comets in the sky right now, so I don’t know what you saw, but we can surmise it was not a meteor or comet. Keep your head up!
- Meteor Mark
on Jun 6th, 2009 at 5:36 am
Hi,
I live in Honolulu Hawaii, and really like to watch meteor shower, would you give me some location seegastions?
thanks!!
on Jun 6th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Liza,
I am not familiar with Hawaii specifically so check out this link: Meteor Shower Viewing this generally applies to all viewers.
You may also want to read my latest post which is on the home page for June 7th.
Keep your head up!
- Meteor Mark
on Jun 9th, 2009 at 7:59 am
Will the June Bootids be seen from the Virginia Beach, VA area?
on Jun 9th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Melanie,
Yes. This is not a major meteor shower, but there should be activity. Please review this blog and review the meteor shower viewing page to help you understand when to look and where.
Keep your head up!
- Meteor Mark
on Jun 17th, 2009 at 12:35 am
Hi, I live in central Arkansas, and on monday night froma about 10:00pm untill about 1:00am we saw several meteors. some seemed to be falling straight down, slow and bright. I wondered which shower they were from, and why were there so many. It was actualy pretty cloudy and we could only see about half the sky.
on Jun 17th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Jason,
All meteors one sees don’t have to be associated with a particular shower. As far as I know there is no major meteor shower activity right now. The Antihelion Source is active but usually account for sporadic meteors that viewers will see on any given night. The June Bootids kicks off June 22nd. Occasionally the June Lyrids are active. They may have been sporadic meteors. Were they located in the Eastern Sky? If yes, then I might guess and say the June Lyrids, but I would have to be there and see them myself and even then I would have to make an educated guess because like I stated earlier there is no major meteor shower activity right now.
- Meteor Mark
on Jun 17th, 2009 at 4:56 am
Hi there,
I live in Fuerteventura in the canary isles, where can I find a good site to give me viewing information, i.e. the best time and direction to observe meteor showers.
I have Stellarium installed and set to my co-ordinates but it doesn’t give meteor details obviously.
Any ideas?
Thnx
on Jun 17th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Try meteorblog.com I hear they have some good stuff.
on Jun 23rd, 2009 at 11:49 pm
I saw about 10 last night between 11pm and midnight. About 6 or seven were in the area of Ursa major and Arcturus. 2 really impressive slower moving meteors streaked from east to west in the area of Cygnus.
very cool!
on Jun 23rd, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Karen,
These may have been June Bootids meteors. Cygnus is high in the sky to the east for people in the northern hemisphere around the times you were viewing. So it is possible that these could be traced backward to our radiant Bootes…
Thanks for the comment!
- Meteor Mark
on Jun 24th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Hey Meteor Mark, i hope you remember me! i totally missed May 1st because i forgot to come back to this website =’( do you think there will be a major meteor shower visible to us who live in the eastern times and not so late than 5am?
on Jun 24th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Yesenia,
I do remember you! Thanks for coming back. In this blog post you responded in there is all the information that you need. People commonly mistake meteor showers to be night time events when in fact they are best seen in the morning, however I do believe that you may catch some meteors between June 26th before midnight and June 27th until dawn.
Meteor viewing is not an exact science, a person has to “be in the right place at the right time” and if you go out observing between midnight and dawn your chances are greater to see meteors by possibly being there in the “right time” and being in an area where the sky is not filled with man-made lights is the “right place”, hope this makes sense to you.
Take a look at the meteor shower viewing tips in the top right corner and let me know if you have any questions.
In the meantime, keep your head up!
- Meteor Mark
on Jun 24th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
were do you go to look at the meteor showers in az mesa
on Jun 24th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Alexis,
The darkest and safest place you can find!
- Meteor Mark
on Jun 25th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Mark wondered if you received my question on 15 or so tiny pin point extremely bright flashes in 5 min period ?? my location 100w-31n . located in a 20degree area near zenith @5:15 am. TU. Thanks Mike
on Jun 25th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Mike,
No I didn’t. I haven’t heard any news about what you may have witnessed.
- Meteor Mark
on Jun 26th, 2009 at 12:50 am
just saw a great one in the northern suberbs of Detriot. Going up North Saturday so hopefully it will be much better with a no light sky for a background.
on Jun 26th, 2009 at 1:24 am
Keith,
Thanks for the comment! You’re right, meteor showers are always best scene in the darkest morning skies! Remember this shower peaks 12:01 AM to Dawn on Saturday, not Saturday night into Sunday morning!
- Meteor Mark
on Jun 26th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Just saw a massive comet or meteor burning through our atmosphere on the south coast of England at around 23:25 pm Saturday 26th June 2009.
on Jun 26th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
GMT + 0 BTW
on Jun 27th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
I must have seen what Keith did. I was in Eagle River, Wisconsin – and saw four of what I’d call “shooting stars” and then something that made me say “o my god” outloud, to myself! It was around midnight June 25/26. Right along the same path the sun had taken when it set hours earlier. A very bright burst with a very long, lingering tail.
Very cool!
on Jun 28th, 2009 at 5:42 am
Gretchen,
I understand what you mean! Very cool.
- Meteor Mark