Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s meteor shower June 26

After the meteor shower of the Eta Lyrids, the Eta Aquariids and the Tau-Herculids, it is now the turn of the Bootids to light up our sky. To which meteor swarm is it linked? When is its peak expected? Here's everything an astronomer needs to know.

The climax of June

The Bootids meteor shower comes from the debris of comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke. According to Futura-Sciences, this comet was first observed by the French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons in 1812, and a second time by the astronomer August Winnecke in 1858.

Like every year, this meteor shower will take place from the end of June (22/06) to the beginning of July (03/07), with a peak expected on Monday 27 June at 12 am. This shooting star shower has a small peculiarity, which may have a significant impact on its observation.

Slow meteors

According to astronomers, the meteors will have a speed of 18 km/s, which is considered very slow in astronomical terms. But what makes this shower different from previous ones is its unpredictability: the number of meteors that can be observed varies greatly from one year to the next. So, it is impossible to know in advance whether this event will be spectacular, like the Quadrantids for example.

This article was translated from Gentside FR.

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