Natural History Wanderings

The June Bootid meteor shower is active each year from June 26th until July 2nd. It normally peaks on June 27th. The meteor shower is usually very weak, but occasional outbursts produce a hundred or more meteors per hour.

On June 27th, 1998, northern sky watchers were surprised when meteors suddenly began to stream out of the constellation Bootes. Observers saw as many as 100 meteors per hour during the 7-hour-long outburst. There were also similar outbursts from Bootes in 1916, 1921 and 1927. Astronomers call these unpredictable meteors the June Bootids.

To learn more go to  The Unpredictable June Bootids.