This Strawberry Moon is a special treat because it isn’t an ordinary full moon. It is more of a supermoon, appearing larger and brighter.
WHAT IS A ‘STRAWBERRY’ MOON?
June’s full moon is commonly known as the strawberry moon.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac says that each Full Moon of the year goes by several names. In June, we see the Full Strawberry Moon. They say it also goes by names such as Berries Ripen Moon, Birth Moon, Blooming Moon, Egg Laying Moon, Hatching Moon, Green Corn Moon, Hot Moon, and Hoer Moon.
As for why June’s Full Moon is called the Strawberry Moon, the Almanac says: “This was the time to gather ripening strawberries in what is now the northeastern United States.”
A supermoon is a Full Moon that is at or closer than 361,524 km from Earth. Based on that, if you take the Full Moon to happen at precisely one specific time (as you’ll see in many astronomy guides), of the dozen Full Moons of 2021, only those in April and May are precisely timed to occur when the Moon is that close. On April 27, the Moon was full at exactly 11:33 p.m. ET, and at that time, it was 357,637 km away. On May 26, the Full Moon happened at 7:14 a.m. ET, and at that time, it was 357,453 km away. It was also smack dab in the middle of Earth’s shadow, resulting in a total lunar eclipse!
