June’s supermoon, known as the “Strawberry Moon”, will light up the night sky on Tuesday, June 14. The full moon will peak at roughly 8:00 EDT (7:00 CDT) on Tuesday morning, but will not be visible in North American time zones until later that night when it drifts above the horizon. It will also be full and bright on Monday and Wednesday nights.
If you aren’t familiar with the term “Strawberry Moon,” you may be wondering if the moon will appear pink or strawberry colored. Unfortunately, while it will appear large and bright, the moon will be its usual yellowish color when it rises on June 14.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains that it gets the name “Strawberry Moon” from the Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples because this full moon occurs around the time strawberries are harvested in the northeast U.S.
Sweet or not, the June full moon will appear bigger and brighter than usual. That’s because June’s full moon will be the first of two consecutive supermoons or full moons that orbit within 90% of their closest approach to Earth – a point known as perigee in astronomy. Supermoons can appear larger and up to 16% brighter in the sky than the average full moon does, according to timeanddate.com.
The next Supermoon, also called the “Buck Moon”, rises on Wednesday, July 13.
Source: Excelsior
