Look up at the sky tonight, and you could be rewarded with a rare sighting: the so-called strawberry moon. Also known as June’s full moon, the strawberry moon earned its name because it takes place during the time of year when strawberries are ripe and ready for harvest. This year, the strawberry moon will be at its lowest point in nearly two decades and will reach full illumination in the early hours of June 11.
Here’s what stargazers should know ahead of the strawberry moon’s appearance.
What is the strawberry moon?
Named by Native American Algonquian tribes, the strawberry moon refers to June’s full moon, which takes place after the brief fruit harvesting season that coincides with its annual appearance. While the moon’s nickname isn’t a specific reference to its color, there’s a high likelihood that it will have a reddish hue when it nears the horizon.
“The origin of the name ‘Strawberry Moon’ has nothing to do with the Moon’s hue or experience,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. “A Moon usually appears reddish when it’s close to the horizon because the light rays must pass through the densest layers of the atmosphere.”
The nickname given to June’s full moon varies based on tribes. The Haida people, an Indigenous group in the Pacific Northwest, refer to it as the “berries ripen moon,” while the Muscogee call it the “blackberry moon” and the Shawnee tribe know it as the “raspberry moon.”
Why is the strawberry moon special this year?
The strawberry moon in Aleppo, Syria, in June 2024. (Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In the Northern Hemisphere, June’s full moon will reach its lowest point all year. This year, however, the strawberry moon will be the lowest…