Posted in Nebraska June 07, 2020 by

See If You Can Catch The Unpredictable But Beautiful June Bootids Meteor Shower Above Nebraska This Month

Humans have been fascinated with the stars since we first looked up eons ago. Meteor showers are some of the most magical celestial events that we can see with the naked eye, and we look forward to each one. Later this month, the June Bootids meteor shower will be visible from Nebraska…but no one can predict whether the show will be dazzling or drab.

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The June Bootids meteor shower takes place in late June-early July every year. The meteors originate from the comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke and have a radiant located in the constellation Bootes.
Wikimedia/Lockyer, Norman / Public domain
Although the event happens every year, there's no guarantee you'll be able to see much. Most years, the show is less than spectacular, peaking at 1-2 meteor sightings per hour.
flickr/Steve Gardner
But in some years, the sky lights up with an incredible display of up many more meteors than usual. The most recent mega-Bootids happened in 1998 when the meteors streaked across the sky at a rate of up to 100 per hour.
flickr/MK Feeney
No one knows how this year's meteor shower will go, which makes watching for the unpredictable shooting stars even more fun. It all depends on the density of the comet's tail debris as we pass through it.
flickr/Mike Lewinski
This year's June Bootids meteor shower will take place from June 22 through July 2, 2020. The peak is expected to happen on or around June 27.
flickr/Donovan Shortey
Luckily for us in Nebraska, the meteors' radiant point will be above the horizon all night, meaning that we have a great chance of seeing those celestial objects streaking across the sky.
flickr/Brian Tomlinson
You can look toward the sky on any of the nights from June 22nd to July 2nd, but the night of June 27th may give the best viewing experience. The meteors should be visible from dusk all through the night. How many can you count?
flickr/Josh Beasley

Have you ever seen the June Bootids? Do you remember the especially vivid display in 1998? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Do you consider yourself an astronomy enthusiast? Then you’ll want to check out this impressive observatory at a star park just outside of Lincoln.

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