| 2020 Jun: A Strawberry Moon (2020-5-31) ⬅︎ |
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No, the moon isn't going to look or smell like a strawberry on June 5th, 2020. And yes, we took some artistic
license with our image of the moon above. But the moon will appear big and bright on this day as it does on every
full moon.
Like all full moons, the one in June comes with special names based on where you are at in the world. In North
America, native peoples known as Algonquin -- who lived from the Atlantic coast to the Great Lakes -- saw this full
moon as a reminder that it was time to harvest wild strawberries and gave us the name.
In parts of Europe, this full moon is known as the Mead Moon. What's mead? It's a type of wine that's based on the
use of honey as
a sweetener. During medieval times, mead was given to newly married couples to help them celebrate their first
month of marriage -- their honeymoon.
Other names include Rose Moon, Thunder Moon and Buck Moon. All of these, of course, are just made up by
people.
Regardless of what this or any full moon is called, every full moon is all about the interplay between the earth, sun
and moon as the moon orbits the earth and earth orbits the sun. At a full moon, the sun and moon are on opposites
sides of the earth. So, as the sun sets in the west, the moon rises in the east allowing us to see its illuminated half
in all its glory all night long.
If you can, go out and watch the Strawberry Moon. And while you're at it, try coming up with your own name for it.
Have fun!
Be sure to check out our Star Guide feature with its tools for knowing what's out each night and where to
look.
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