June’s full moon, known as the “Strawberry Moon,” will light up the night sky tonight in a rare and stunning fashion. Due to it being the lowest full moon we’ve seen in years, the moon will appear much larger than usual and have an amber hue, similar to the color of a setting sun. The moon will reach its peak fullness at 9:08 p.m. ET, the day after the summer solstice.
NASA explains that this color change is due to the moon’s light traveling a longer distance through Earth’s atmosphere, scattering blue wavelengths and leaving the red ones visible. Native American tribes named it the “Strawberry Moon” to mark the season when strawberries ripen.
This week, Mercury is the only bright planet visible in the evening sky, seen low on the west-northwest horizon for a brief time after sunset. Saturn becomes visible after midnight.
The strawberry moon will appear nearly full for a few days around June 21, making it an easy target for sky watchers, even from the brightly lit Charlotte skyline.
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