Super rare 'Strawberry Moon' in the sky tonight making it appear 'bigger than ever'

The first full moon of the summer is here and it is a very special one known as a Strawberry Moon. Today just so happens to be the Summer Solstice too, the longest day of the year when the sun is at its highest, while the moon will be at its very lowest and so appear 'bigger than ever'.

This is the first time these two events have coincided since 1985. It means it's the best and brightest full moon in 39 years - a true rarity.

The moon will be at its brightest and fullest at 9.08pm and be visible throughout the weekend so keep your eyes in the sky. To get the full effect of the massive Strawberry Moon, look south-east and watch it rise above the horizon where it will appear its biggest and with a reddy golden hue.

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"Since the 2024 June full Moon happens on the solstice, the very day the sun is absolutely at its highest of the year, this month's full moon on the 21st is the very lowest full moon, indeed, the lowest we've seen in years," The Farmers Almanac astronomy editor Bob Berman wrote. "Because the moon is so low, it will appear bigger than ever. This is called the 'Moon Illusion."

Why is it called a Strawberry Moon?

The moon has loads of weird names for different phases and a lot of them seem to not make much sense. The moon has never really been blue, indeed it has never been a strawberry either.

The name Strawberry Moon harks back thousands of years in fact and it has nothing to do with that reddy golden colour mentioned above. By definition, a Strawberry Moon is the date of the full moon in June and this date, in years gone by, marks the beginning of the short harvest period for strawberries.

The name strawberry has its roots in the Native American Algonquin tribes, the Daily Mail said. 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 harvesting.

Ancient Europeans have also named this moon the Mead Moon or Honey Moon as this full moon also marks the beginning of the honey harvest. The word honeymoon stretches back to the 1500s and these days it means the holiday after people get married. It is theorised that this is linked to the Honey Moon full moon in June due to the custom of marrying in June.

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