This week will see a so-called ‘Strawberry Moon’ rising over the skies of the UK.
In previous months, we’ve seen Snow Moons, Wolf Moons and even a Pink Moon.
Presently another astonishing brilliant full moon is in store the night of 17 June, yet what is the Pink Moon and how might you see it?
What is the Strawberry Moon?
In spite of its name, the moon is probably not going to turn a tint of strawberry red.
In recent years, conventional Native American names for the full moons have turned out to be progressively normal in current speech.
As per the Maine Farmer’s Almanac – which initially first the Native American names for the full Moons in the 1930’s – the name originates from the generally short season for harvesting strawberries in northeastern North America.
The name is connected to the full Moon in June or the last full Moon of Spring, however a similar full moon went under numerous other traditional names in different pieces of the world.
One old European name for June’s was the Honey Moon, and it’s accepted this is the place the team ‘honeymoon’ may have come from.
The conjugal expression goes back to at any rate the 1500’s, and it’s sprang up due to the custom of marrying in June, and the reality the Honey Moon will have been in the sky around the time of a lot of nuptials.
Will the moon be red?
The traditional Native American name for June’s full moon proposes it might turn a shade of red, however unquestionably that is not the case?
While the moon won’t be as colourful as ripe strawberry, it may actually change colour slightly, if you live further north.
The Moon orbits around the Earth on nearly precisely the same plane as the Earth circles around the Sun. That means that when the Sun appears highest in the sky near the summer solstice in June, the full Moon opposite our nearest star is generally at its lowest in the sky.
At Europe’s higher scopes – lamentably the UK is entirely too low to even think about seeing the phenomenon – this means the full Moon radiates through more atmosphere than at different occasions of the year, which can sometimes give it a reddish tint; it’s the same science that makes sunsets and sunrises appear a deep shade of red.
When can I see it?
The full moon will be in the night sky on the evening of Monday 17 June.
While the moon will actually be at its fullest at 9.30 am on that day, it won’t be obvious at all in the sky, having recently set at around 4.54am.
It will rise again at around 9.30pm and won’t set again until about 5.39am the next morning, meaning it will be visible in all its glory throughout the night – clear skies permitting of course.