2009 Bootids Off to a Good Start

While observing last night, I observed an abnormally high hourly rate of meteors. While on a typical night, one might see about 10 per hour, I was seeing about 1 every few minutes, which I would estimate to 20-30 meteors per hour. At first I was confused, but then I remembered: the Bootid meteor shower began on June 21^st! Typically considered a minor shower, the Bootids have been more active in the last few years. In 2004, they reached a peak of over 100 per hour!


Shown above is the direction from which the meteors will appear to radiate.

The Bootid meteor shower peaks on June 27^th. It is believed that since the shower's parent comet, 7P/Pons-Winnecke, passed closely to Earth in 2008, that the hourly rate for this year will also be quite high.

So get out and check out this meteor shower! It will go until about July 2^nd, so you'll have plenty of time!

Clear skies!