The beautiful Strawberry Moon will shine a golden hue in the night sky this week – and appear ‘bigger than ever’

A beautiful Strawberry Moon will take on a golden hue on Friday as it fills the night sky, marking the first full moon of the summer season.

The sweet name is associated with strawberry season, with the berries being ripe for picking around this time in the US.

The moon will be at its brightest and fullest at 9:08 PM ET and will continue to shine all weekend.

Because the celestial event takes place during the summer solstice, when the sun is at its highest point of the year, the moon will also “seem bigger than ever.”

‘Since the June 2024 full moon occurs on the solstice, the very day the sun is at its absolute highest point of the year, this month’s full moon on the 21st is the very lowest full moon, indeed, the lowest on record. we have seen in years,’ The Farmer’s Almanac astronomy editor Bob Berman wrote.

‘Because the moon is so low, it seems bigger than ever. This is called the ‘Moon Illusion’.

Skygazers should look to the southeast to see the full moon rise over the horizon – and there it will appear large and golden.

While the main event takes place on Friday, the moon will appear nearly full on Thursday, according to NASA.

The golden hue is because the moon follows a low, shallow path across the sky, but the name comes from the Native American Algonquin tribes.

The tribes lived in the northeastern region for about 8,000 years before English settlers arrived and used the June full moon to know when strawberries were ripe for harvest.

And according to legend, if you eat a strawberry during the full moon in June, any wish you wish will come true.

The ancient Europeans also coined the moon as the moon Mead or honey moon.

Mead is a drink made by fermenting honey mixed with water and sometimes fruit, herbs, grains or hops. In some countries Mead is also called Honey Wine.

Skygazers should look to the southeast to see the full moon rise over the horizon – and there it will appear large and golden. Pictured is the 2021 Strawberry Moon in Great Britain

Some writings have suggested that the time around the end of June was when honey was ready to harvest, making this the ‘sweetest’ moon.

And the word “honeymoon” dates back at least to the 16th century in Europe.

‘The tradition of calling the first month of marriage the ‘honeymoon’ may be related to this full moon because of the custom of getting married in June or because the ‘Honey Moon’ is the ‘sweetest’ moon of the year. Gordon Johnston of NASA.

“There doesn’t seem to be enough evidence to support a 19th-century theory that the word entered English through the custom of gifting newlyweds with mead for the first month of their marriage.”

For Hindus, this is Vat Purnima, when married women show their love tying a ceremonial thread around a banyan tree.

The celebration is based on the legend of Savitri and Satyavan.

For Buddhists, especially in Sri Lanka, this full moon is Poson Poya, which marks the introduction of Buddhism in 236 BCE.