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Here’s How to Best Watch the Unpredictable June Bootids Meteor Shower

The June Bootids meteor shower, though, generally results in little activity, according to the American Meteor Society.

That being said, the June Bootids have surprised astronomers a few times over the years. On June 27, 1998, there was an “unexpected outburst” of activity, when stargazers could see 50-100 meteors per hour, according to the Society for Popular Astronomy. On June 23, 2004, there was another “outburst” of activity, with up to 50 meteors being spotted each hour, the society reported.


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Astronomers predicted that the June Bootids would be overly active again in June 2010, but that year the meteor shower “proved disappointingly very weak,” the society said. These events have given the June Bootids a reputation for being “unpredictable.”

“There are no predictions of an outburst this year,” the Royal Museums Greenwich said on its website. “But there never are, until it happens.”

“You might see almost nothing. You might see a storm. We cannot tell you which,” it continued. “That makes the June Bootids, in their own chaotic way, one of the most exciting meteor showers of the summer.”