What Is A Strawberry Moon?
QUICK ANSWER
The Strawberry Moon is the traditional name for June's full moon. The name comes from the Algonquin tribes of the northeastern United States, referring to the short strawberry harvest season in early summer. Despite the name, the Moon doesn't appear pink or red.
The Strawberry Moon is one of the most poetic full moon names. It marks the start of summer's wild strawberry harvest in northeastern North America, where the Algonquin tribes coined the name. Despite the suggestive name, the June full moon doesn't actually appear pink or red, but it often has a warm coloring as it rises low in the sky. The Strawberry Moon is the last full moon of spring or first of summer.
Where does the name come from?
From the Algonquin tribes. According to NASA, the Maine Farmer's Almanac first published Native American names for the full Moons in the 1930s. The Algonquin tribes of what is now the northeastern United States called this the Strawberry Moon. The name comes from the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries in that region. Wild strawberries ripen in June, and the full moon coincided with this brief but anticipated harvest. The name has been passed down through generations and continues in widespread use today.
When does it happen?
June each year. The Strawberry Moon is the full moon that occurs during June, typically in mid to late month. The exact date varies year to year as the lunar cycle isn't synced with calendar months. In some years, the Strawberry Moon falls in early June; in others, it occurs in late June. It marks either the last full moon of spring or the first full moon of summer, depending on when the summer solstice falls relative to that month's full moon. It's sometimes a marginal supermoon.
What other names does it have?
Many across cultures. Old European traditions called this the Mead Moon or Honey Moon, since June was traditionally when honey was harvested from beehives. The word honeymoon may trace back to this full moon, possibly because of the tradition of marrying in June. Other Native American names include Birth Moon (Tlingit), Green Corn Moon (Cherokee), Hatching Moon (Cree), and Berries Ripen Moon (Haida). In Europe, it's also called the Rose Moon.
Does it really look pink?
Not really. Despite the name evoking pink or red, the Strawberry Moon doesn't appear unusually colored compared to other full moons. The name refers to strawberry season, not the Moon's color. However, the June full moon does often appear yellow, orange, or reddish when it's low on the horizon. This is the normal effect of viewing the Moon through more of Earth's atmosphere. The June full moon is also the lowest of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, since it's opposite the high summer Sun, so it spends more time near the horizon.
The Strawberry Moon is the traditional name for June's full moon. The name comes from the Algonquin tribes of the northeastern United States, referring to the strawberry harvest season in early summer. Old European names include the Mead Moon, Honey Moon, and Rose Moon. The word honeymoon may trace back to this full moon. Despite the name, the Moon doesn't appear pink or red, though it can look warm-colored when low on the horizon.
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