Skywatchers can See Strawberry Moon on Friday
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The Strawberry Moon on Friday will also showcase a partial penumbral lunar eclipse that will make the moon appear dark and silvery.
The next full moon, called the strawberry moon, will light up the sky on the 5th of June. The moon will reach peak illumination at 3:12 P.M (Eastern Time), but it will not be visible until moonrise. Therefore, your best chance to see the strawberry moon is to gaze skywards at 8:23 PM EDT. Having said that, NASA confirmed that you will get multiple opportunities to enjoy the view. The report released by the space agency said,
“The Moon appear full for about 3 days around this time, from early Thursday morning to early Sunday morning.”
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
The full moon on Friday will also showcase a partial penumbral lunar eclipse. This means that the strawberry moon will appear dark and silvery. This type of lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon crosses through the faint edge of Earth’s dark shadow. The visual effect of this eclipse is so minimal that a lot of people fail to perceive it.
The residents of North America will not be able to see this view until the 4th of July (another event). This is because the moon will be below the horizon (for this part of the world) as it passes through the Earth’s shadow. However, you can still enjoy the live streaming of the lunar event from Italy. The Virtual Telescope Project will cover the event and it can be viewed live on their web TV page.
Why is it called the Strawberry Moon?
This nickname of June’s full moon has nothing to do with its color. The term ‘Strawberry Moon’ was originated by Algonquin tribes who considered it as a signal to harvest wild strawberries. NASA also acknowledged this fact in their report and talked about it in the following words:
“The name comes from the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries in the north-eastern United States.”
Interestingly, June is also the prime time for growing strawberries in the United States. Strawberry is the 6th most popular fruit of the country and is grown almost round the year. The growing cycle begins in the south and travels its way through the Central Coast to reach the Monterey Bay area. Although they are grown throughout the year, the period between April and July is considered the most suitable one.
Other Names for June’s Full Moon
There are several alternative names for this moon, like Mead Moon, Rose Moon, and Honey Moon. This celestial event was called the Rose Moon in Europe because many roses came to life during this month. Similarly, the full moon of June was named as the Mead Moon.
Mead is an alcoholic drink that is made by fermenting a mixture of honey and water. According to NASA, some of the past writings have suggested that honey was harvested around the end of June. This was the reason why the full moon of this month was linked with mead.
Lastly, the Old Farmer’s Almanac also associated the full moon of June with ‘honeymoon’. The moon of June was called the Honey Moon because it had a honey-colored appearance during this month. Some people combined it with the fact that June was the most popular month for weddings during that time. This combination of two different pieces of information was used to link the full moon of June with this expression.
However, NASA believes that this theory doesn’t make much sense and is more speculation than anything else. They explained it by saying,
“Nowadays, however, the most popular wedding months are August, September, and October, plus a little research shows that the Moon’s color never did have anything to do with that expression.”
Computer Scientist by qualification who loves to read, write, eat, and travel