Most 'chaotic' meteor shower of the year peaks this week and here's how you can catch it
The June Bootids, otherwise referred to as the year's most 'chaotic' meteor shower, is set to grace our skies this week — and you won't want to miss the unpredictable scenes on display.
Few meteor showers can continue to surprise astronomers and space experts as much as the June Bootids, as there's always a chance that its yearly arrival greets onlookers with tens, if not hundreds of meteors per hour in the sky.
Most years you only get around a couple every hour, but people are always excited to catch a glimpse because you genuinely never know what the sky will serve up this time around.
The June Bootids themselves original from the comet, 7P/Pons-Winnecke, with a meteor shower emanating from the 'clumpy' debris stream from the space object's trail.
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With the last days of June rolling around it's that time of year again to see the Bootids soar above our heads, and make sure you're up to date with the latest information to ensure that you don't miss the unpredictably chaotic event.
When can you watch the June Bootids?
As reported by Space, current projections from the American Meteor Society indicate that the June Bootids will grace our skies between June 20 and June 27, meaning that the window has already begun.
It's definitely worth trying to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower every night that you can – even if it seems relatively unremarkable – as the unpredictable nature of the event leaves even the smallest chance that things could suddenly accelerate.
How to watch the June Bootids
Now that you know the date and time that the June Bootids will be visible, the next step is understanding where they'll be visible, and which part of the sky you should be looking towards.
The meteor shower will begin to emerge from the constellation that it's named after, Boötes, which can be found in towards the higher parts of the western and southwestern skies for those living in the Northern Hemisphere, or right above the northern horizon if you're in the Southern Hemisphere.
Ensuring that you're as far away from light polluted areas as possible is also an essential, as this gives you the best view of the sky that would otherwise leave the meteors obscured.
Once you've located Boötes, you'll want to then position yourself so that you've got a wider view of the sky as a whole, as while the showers originate from that constellation, the meteors themselves might only be able to be spotted in a broader area.