The moon will slip out of the evening sky, leaving the nights dark and clear.
Each year, the sky offers certain weeks as quiet invitations — moments when the moon withdraws its light and leaves the darkness to those willing to wait. This mid-June, centered on the new moon of the 15th, is one such week: the International Meteor Organization forecasts modest but steady meteor activity, with the Anthelion radiant and the Daytime Arietids both contributing to a sky best appreciated from dark, patient ground. The rewards are not spectacular by the standards of legend, but they are honest — a few streaks per hour, deliberate and real, asking only that we look up.
- The new moon on June 15 removes the sky's brightest obstacle, opening a rare window of genuine darkness for observers across the globe.
- Two meteor sources compete for attention: the slow, deliberate Anthelion meteors peaking around 1 a.m. and the elusive pre-dawn Arietids — fast, faint, and barely catchable before sunrise swallows them.
- Southern Hemisphere observers hold a distinct advantage, with evening rates nearly double those seen from mid-northern latitudes and morning peaks reaching 12 meteors per hour.
- Light pollution threatens to quietly erase much of the show — urban skywatchers may see only a fraction of what a rural observer counts under truly dark skies.
- Radio observers stand ready to extend the vigil past dawn, tracking the ionized trails of Daytime Arietids long after the naked eye loses them to sunlight.
The moon will be absent from the sky this week, reaching its new phase on June 15th and lingering afterward as only a thin, early-setting crescent. For meteor observers, this is the essential condition — darkness uninterrupted by lunar glare — and it makes the coming nights worth stepping outside for.
The activity on offer is modest rather than dramatic. Mid-northern observers can expect around three meteors per hour in the evening, climbing to eight by the final hour before dawn. From tropical southern latitudes, those numbers improve to four and twelve respectively. Two sources drive the week's activity: the Anthelion radiant, a broad region in western Sagittarius best placed around 1 a.m., producing slow meteors at roughly 30 kilometers per second; and the Daytime Arietids, fast and faint, visible only in the narrow window before sunrise when their radiant sits low in the east. The Arietids are the strongest daylight shower of the year, and radio operators worldwide will continue tracking their ionized trails even after the sun renders them invisible.
Sporadic meteors — unaffiliated with any shower — fill the remaining hours, adding two to six per hour depending on latitude and time of night. But all published rates assume genuinely dark skies, and city observers should expect to see considerably less.
The practical advice is simple: place the radiant near the edge of your vision rather than at its center, time your session to when the radiant has risen well above the horizon, and bring patience. The moon will do its part. The rest depends on weather, darkness, and the willingness to wait.
The moon will slip out of the evening sky this week, leaving the nights dark and clear for anyone willing to look up. On Monday, June 15th, the moon reaches its new phase—invisible, tucked behind the sun—and for the next several days it will remain a thin crescent, rising late and setting early. This is the kind of week astronomers wait for: a dark sky, uncluttered by lunar glare, perfect for watching meteors streak across the atmosphere.
For observers in the mid-northern latitudes, the rewards will be modest but real. Evening watchers can expect to see around three meteors per hour, while those who stay up until dawn might catch eight. From tropical southern locations, the numbers climb: four meteors per hour in the evening, and as many as twelve during the final hours before sunrise. These are not the dramatic meteor storms of popular imagination—no hundreds per hour, no sky ablaze with light. But they are steady, reliable, and visible to anyone with a dark patch of sky and patience.
Two distinct sources of activity will be at work. The Anthelion radiant, a broad region of sky in western Sagittarius, will be best positioned around 1 a.m. local time, when it climbs highest above the horizon. Meteors from this source move slowly—about 30 kilometers per second—which means they will trace deliberate paths across the sky rather than streaking like bullets. Rates from the Anthelion will hover below two per hour in the Northern Hemisphere, rising to about three per hour south of the equator.
The Daytime Arietids present a different challenge. These meteors are active only in the hour or so before dawn, when the radiant in eastern Aries sits low on the eastern horizon. They are fast—38 kilometers per second—and faint, with expected rates below one per hour. Yet this is the strongest daylight meteor shower of the entire year, and radio observers across the globe will be tuning in to detect their ionized trails even after the sun rises and the meteors become invisible to the naked eye.
Sporadic meteors—those unaffiliated with any known shower—will fill the gaps between these two sources. From mid-northern latitudes, expect about two sporadic meteors per hour in the evening and six per hour during the last hour before dawn. From the south, the numbers rise to three per hour in the evening and nine in the morning.
Success depends on more than just the calendar and the moon phase. Light pollution matters enormously. The hourly rates cited here assume observation from truly dark sites, far from city lights. Urban observers will see only the brightest meteors, perhaps a quarter or less of what a rural observer might count. Weather, alertness, and experience all play a role. A skilled observer in a dark location will see more than a casual watcher in a suburban backyard.
For those planning to observe, the key is positioning. Meteors do not appear directly at the radiant—the point from which they seem to originate—but rather shoot outward from it. The best view comes from placing the radiant near the edge of your field of vision, not at the center. This allows you to trace each meteor's path backward to its source, confirming whether it belongs to a known shower or is simply a random sporadic. Radiants that have not yet risen above the horizon will produce no visible meteors, so timing matters. A planisphere or smartphone planetarium app can help locate the radiant positions as the night progresses.
The week ahead offers no guarantees, only opportunity. The moon will cooperate. The radiants will be in position. Whether the sky itself cooperates—whether clouds stay away and the air remains clear—remains, as always, beyond prediction.
Notable Quotes
The Daytime Arietids are the strongest daylight meteor shower of the entire year— International Meteor Organization
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does the new moon matter so much for meteor watching? Isn't the moon just one light source among many?
The moon is the brightest object in the night sky by far. When it's full or nearly full, it washes out everything fainter than the brightest stars. A new moon means no moonlight at all—the sky stays dark all night long, and you can see meteors that would otherwise be invisible.
So these rates—three meteors per hour, eight in the morning—those are actually pretty good?
They're modest, not spectacular. You're not going to see a meteor every few seconds. But if you're patient, if you find a dark spot and give yourself an hour or two, you'll see something real. The Anthelion is steady, reliable activity. It's not a storm, but it's worth the effort.
What's the difference between the Anthelion and the Daytime Arietids?
The Anthelion is visible all night long, best around 1 a.m. The Daytime Arietids only show up in that narrow window before dawn, and they're fainter. But the Arietids are actually the strongest daylight shower of the year—radio observers detect thousands of them even after sunrise, when your eyes can't see them anymore.
Why would someone use radio to detect meteors?
When a meteor burns up in the atmosphere, it ionizes the air—creates a trail of charged particles. Radio waves bounce off those trails. So even in broad daylight, when the meteor itself is invisible, a radio telescope can still detect the ionization it left behind. It's a different kind of observation, but it captures activity the eye can't.
Does it matter where you are on Earth?
Enormously. The Southern Hemisphere sees higher rates—up to twelve meteors per hour in the morning from tropical latitudes, compared to eight from the mid-north. The radiants are positioned differently depending on your latitude. And light pollution is the same problem everywhere: if you're near a city, you'll see maybe a quarter of what someone in a truly dark location sees.
So the forecast is really conditional—it depends on where you are and how dark your sky is?
Exactly. The numbers in the forecast assume ideal conditions: a dark rural site, clear skies, an observer who knows what they're looking for. Real-world results will vary. But the opportunity is there for anyone willing to find a dark spot and look.