The most unpredictable meteor shower of the year peaks next week. Here's what to expect

Heads up, stargazers! The notoriously unpredictable June Bootid meteor shower is set to peak next week — and anything could happen. While most annual meteor showers follow a fairly predictable script, the June Bootids have a habit of surprising astronomers. Most years, the shower produces only a few meteors per hour. Occasionally, however, it erupts into an unexpected display. In 1998, skywatchers were treated to an outburst of up to 100 meteors per hour, while another burst in 2004 produced an estimated 20-50 meteors per hour, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich . Yet the shower remains notoriously difficult to predict. In 2010, astronomers anticipated another outburst, but fewer than 10 meteors per hour were reported. What causes the Bootids? The June Bootids occur when Earth passes through debris left behind by comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke, which orbits the sun approximately every six years. As fragments of this icy wanderer's trail enter Earth's atmosphere, they burn up and create bright streaks of light we call meteors, or shooting stars. When is it? The shower is active through late June, with the peak of the shower predicted for between June 20 and June 27, according to the American Meteor Society . How can I see it? Most years, the June Bootids put on a very modest show with just one or two meteors per hour. However, they have earned a reputation for the unexpected, which is why many skywatchers keep an eye on them despite their modest rates. …