Strawberry full moon to light up sky Friday night
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The full Strawberry Moon was visible last year on June 4. Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
The day after the summer solstice and the longest day of the year look up to the sky for the June full moon, which is also the "strawberry moon."
Why it matters: It's rare for a full Moon to happen within a day of a solstice and this usually occurs about every 19 to 20 years, according to Space.com.
The big picture: The June full Moon usually appears reddish because it's close to the horizon and the lowest full Moon of the year, according to Almanac.com.
Yes, but: Don't expect to see a bright red Moon that looks like a strawberry, but it should appear to be pink or reddish.
Flashback: The name Strawberry Moon has been used by Native American Algonquin tribes to mark the June ripening of strawberries ready to be gathered, according to Almanac.com.
- In Europe, it's known as the Mead, Honey or Rose Moon.
Fun fact: The word "honeymoon" may be tied to this full Moon because of "the custom of marrying in June" or because the Honey Moon is the "sweetest" Moon of the year, NASA notes.
When is strawberry moon 2024
The full Moon is expected at 9:08pm EDT, Friday, June 21 and will appear opposite the sun, according to NASA.
- Times when the moon will be visible vary by time zones.
- Find your local times on this Moonrise and Moonset calculator, and on Timeanddate.com/astronomy.
- NASA also has a Daily Moon Guide with an interactive map on how to best view it.
Zoom in: For the Washington, D.C. area, the full Moon Friday to the morning of June 22 will have the lowest full Moon of the year, per NASA.
- It will reach 21.9 degrees above the southern horizon at 1:20am ET.
Next full moon in July is "buck moon"
What's next: The next full moon will be July 21 at 6:17am and is called the "buck moon," according to Timeanddate.com.
- It's called a buck moon "after the new antlers that emerge from a buck's forehead around this time of the year," the site said.
- It is also called Thunder Moon, Hay Moon and Wyrt Moon.
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