The June full moon is referred to as a “strawberry moon” in North America, as it is believed the sweet summer fruit isn’t ready to pick until after this month’s full moon.
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Happy summer, HollywoodLifers! The official first day of summer is on June 20, and with the solstice comes something special: a coinciding full moon!
The next strawberry moon is due to take place in 46 years, in 2062.
The moon’s low angle means its light must go through thicker air, which can lead to amber skies as it rises and falls.
In the Antarctic Circle, the June solstice is marked by the complete absence of sunlight, the website continues.
For summer stargazers out there, it’s the first chance to see a full moon on the summer solstice in almost half a century.
To put that into perspective, today is 2 hours, 36 minutes longer than on the winter solstice in December.
Why is it called the “Strawberry Moon”?
Today is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
According to the folks at the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the full strawberry moon was so named by Native Americans because it signaled the start strawberry-picking season. Technically, the summer solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer latitude.
Wait, isn’t it on the same day every year?
A live stream of Monday’s strawberry moon was available on Slooh and the phenomenon was immortalized on YouTube.
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For the first time in a half century, 10:00 at night, the longest day of the year, and our Strawberry Moon get together. “In 2035, the full moon will hit one day before the solstice”. The last time they occurred within a 12-hour period was 1986.
