Mark your calendars and turn to the sky — there will be another exciting celestial event Friday night, right after the start of summer.
The full moon, called a “strawberry moon” because of its pink or reddish hue, is expected to appear right after the summer solstice, which marks the onset of summer and the longest period of sunlight of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, according to NASA.
The moon is expected at 9:08 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and will be opposite to the sun, according to NASA. In Los Angeles, the moon is expected to rise at about 7:24 p.m. and reach the highest point in the sky at 12:13 a.m. Local times can be found at timeanddate.com.
The full moon only occurs within a day of the summer solstice about every 19 to 20 years, according to Space.com. This time around, the moon is expected to appear full for about three days.
The name “strawberry moon” comes from the Indigenous American Algonquin tribes to describe when strawberries ripen in June and are ready to be collected, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
“Since the 2024 June full Moon happens on the solstice, the very day the Sun is absolutely at its highest of the year, this month’s full Moon on the 21st is the very lowest full Moon, indeed, the lowest we’ve seen in years,” the Almanac reported. “Just look at it! Because the Moon is so low, it will appear bigger than ever. This is called the ‘Moon Illusion.’”
The European name for this moon is the “mead” or “honey moon,” according to NASA. Mead, known in some countries as honey wine, is created by fermenting honey with fruits or other spices. Meanwhile, the term “honeymoon” dates back to Europe in the 1500s and references getting married in June because it’s the “sweetest” moon of the year.
The moon will take on a reddish orange color due to how low it will hang in the sky and its close proximity to the horizon. Because of how low the moon will be, that also means the sky will be darker due to lower levels of moonlight.
