Can Still Catch Waning Gibbous Moon Tonight
Over the past 2 nights, lunar hunters who attempted to spot the Strawberry Moon may have been disappointed due to overcast skies. As the moon dipped lower into the horizon, a faint pinkish hue could be observed once clouds shifted to reveal a large glowing orb tucked behind overcast skies. By 7.20am, the clouds had drifted back over the moon, leaving but a sliver of rose-tinted light peeping through.
If you spotted the Strawberry Moon turning a shade darker in the wee hours of Saturday (6 Jun) morning, it was due to a “penumbral lunar eclipse” that began at 3.12am as our moon was imperfectly aligned with the Sun & Earth. In fact, the Strawberry Moon wasn’t actually named for the pinkish hue, but the start of the ripening cycle for wild strawberries in Europe. Alternatively, it’s also known as a Rose Moon or Mead Moon, to signal that it was time to mow the meadows.
Those who wish to capture the stunning sight on film, will be glad to know you can catch a glimpse of the waning strawberry moon once again tonight.
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THE FULL STRAWBERRY MOON
WHY IS IT CALLED THE FULL STRAWBERRY MOON?
June’s full Moon—typically the last full Moon of spring or the first of summer—is traditionally called the Strawberry Moon. The tradition of naming Moons is rich in history. Here at The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we have long honored the Native American Moon names and the folklore of those who came before us. We follow the full Moon names that were used during Native American and Colonial times to help track the seasons—usually from the Algonquin tribes who lived in the same areas as the Colonists.
The name, Strawberry Moon, originated with Algonquin tribes in eastern North America who knew it as a signal to gather the ripening fruit of wild strawberries. Alternative European names for this Moon include the Honey Moon and the Mead Moon. It has also been called the Rose Moon, given that many roses come to life during this part of the year!
June’s full Moon, known as the Strawberry Moon, will reach peak illumination at 3:12 P.M. Eastern Time on the 5th, but will not be visible until later that evening. Consult our Moonrise and Moonset Calculator to see when it will appear in your area.
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Strawberry Moon
June’s Full Moon is named after the wild strawberries that start to ripen during this month. According to some sources, a European name for this early summer month was Rose Moon, and another was Hot Moon, for the beginning of the summer heat. Other sources quote Mead Moon as the Anglo-Saxon name because this was the time for mowing the meads, or meadows.
There are several different kinds of wild strawberries. The native North American type is the Virginia strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), also known as Mountain strawberry or Common strawberry. It grows naturally in the United States, including Alaska, and Canada. It has also been exported; one popular variety, which was imported to Great Britain in the early 1900s, is called Little Scarlet.
It was an accidental cross of Fragaria virginiana and the South American Fragaria chiloensis, also know as Sand or Beach strawberry, with larger fruit, which resulted in the modern strawberry grown commercially and in gardens, the Fragaria ananassa.
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