Eid Al Adha celestial spectacle: UAE residents to witness brilliant meteor shower on Tuesday

Residents in the UAE can indulge in a celestial spectacle this Eid Al Adha, as they will get an opportunity to witness the splendour of the cosmos once again.

People can spend a night under the stars on June 27 as the June Bootod meteor will produce its peak rate of meteors on this day.

Experts say that the June Bootid meteor shower, also known as the June Bootids, occurs in late June.

“The shower will be visible in Dubai from sunset until around 5.02am when its radiant point sets below the western horizon,” says Sarath Raj, Project Director – Amity Dubai Satellite Ground Station and AmiSat, Amity University Dubai.

Currently, due to the Earth's rotation, Dubai is strategically positioned to face the incoming meteors, ensuring that a higher quantity of them descend vertically, resulting in shorter trails near the radiant point. During different periods, the occurrence of meteors ablaze over Dubai will be comparatively lower.

The June Bootid meteor shower has been active from June 22 this year until July 2 this year.

The meteor shower is named after the constellation Bootes, as the radiant — the point in the sky from which meteors appear to originate — lies in that constellation.

He explains, “The radiant point in the Bootes constellation, near the star Beta Bootis, is the source of the June Bootids meteor shower. Every year, a meteor shower is produced when this comet's debris collides with Earth's orbit. Late in the month of June, precisely between June 27 and 28, the June Bootids meteor shower generally has its peak. The shower, nevertheless, is renowned for its erratic behaviour, with sporadic outbursts and occasionally even extended periods of low activity.”

The June Bootids outbursts are notable for having slower moving meteors than other showers, and they frequently leave behind bright trails.

“With a low Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) typically ranging from 1 to 10 meteors per hour, the June Bootids are associated with Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke and have a 6.37-year orbital period. ZHR is a numerical representation of the meteor shower's expected peak rate, assuming ideal viewing conditions with a dark sky and the radiant straight overhead at the zenith,” adds Raj.

However, it is important to note that the intensity and visibility of the June Bootids can vary significantly from year to year. Some years may have very few or even no meteors, while other years might produce a higher number of meteors.

As they do not produce a high rate of meteors like some other well-known meteor showers such as the Perseids or the Geminids, these are not as popular or widely observed as some of the more prominent meteor showers.

“On June 27, 2023, in Dubai, Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke will be visible in the Orion constellation. It will have a right ascension of 04h 52m 06.6s and a declination of 14° 21' 11.8". The comet is expected to have a magnitude of 23.10, indicating its faintness, and a solar elongation of 23.2°, referring to its angular separation from the Sun.”

If one is interested in observing them, it is recommended to find a dark location away from city lights and to look towards the radiant in the constellation Bootes, during the late evening or early morning hours around the predicted peak time.

Patience and perseverance may be required, as the June Bootids are often faint and sporadic.

Raj adds, “The shower will most likely peak about 21:00 +04, when its radiant point is highest in the sky. While meteor showers are normally observable with the naked eye without the use of telescopes or binoculars, the presence of the first quarter moon during the event may potentially interfere with or block observation of the meteor shower.”

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