After last month's Supermoon, space enthusiasts and moon idolators have yet another treat in store today (June 24). June's full moon, called the “Super Strawberry Moon”, will be this year’s last and the brightest.
With an orangey tint, the Strawberry Moon will bedazzle the night sky by being closest to Earth in its orbit. Even then, the natural satellite would still be farther off than the last three full moons, NASA claims.
Why is it called Strawberry Supermoon?
The supermoon does not don the seedy characterises of a strawberry and was named so by Algonquin tribes of North America who linked its emergence to the berry’s picking season.
The other names by which the Strawberry Moon is known are “hot moon”, “rose moon” and “honey moon”. In fact, many believe that the word honeymoon originated from this full moon cycle of the year, during which the most number of weddings are reported.
What happens during a Full Moon?
In an interview with Live Science, NASA's science communicator Andrea Jones was quoted saying, "During a full moon, the sun, Earth and moon line up along a 180-degree line. But because the moon's orbit is slightly different from Earth's (it's 5 degrees off the plane of Earth's orbit), it's usually a little higher or a little lower than Earth's shadow when the celestial lineup happens, meaning it's possible for the sun's light to completely illuminate the side of the moon facing Earth."
Even though this supermoon can’t hold a candle to May’s “blood red supermoon”, it is still an event of significance for it marks the last such event this year.
An astrologer coined the term “supermoon” in 1979 to refer to moon cycles that are closer than usual to Earth when they’re full. According to NASA, supermoons are 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than regular full moons.
When can the Strawberry Supermoon be watched in India?
The Strawberry Moon will attain peak illumination at 12:10 am IST. Even then, it will only become visible in its full glory after appearing above the horizon. A live feed of the event over Rome will be aired by The Virtual Telescope Project at 3 pm ET/12:30 am IST.
