After the recent Lunar and Solar Eclipses, now it’s time for another full moon: The Strawberry Moon. According to NASA, the full moon will take place on June 24 at 2:40 pm EDT (June 25 at 12:10 am IST). This moon has many names. NASA described it as a Strawberry Moon because the full Moon will appear in red just like the colour of a strawberry. However, some of the European countries named it Honey Moon, others named it Rose moon. In India, the full Moon of Jyestha month is known as Vat Purnima.
“While this will be on Thursday for much of the Earth, from India Standard Time eastward to Line Islands Time, and the International Dateline, this will be on Friday morning. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from early Wednesday morning through early Saturday morning,” Nasa said.
HOW IT GOT IT NAME?
In the 1930s, the Maine Farmer’s Almanac began publishing Native American names for the full Moons of the year. According to the almanac, June’s full moon is called the strawberry moon because it signaled to some Native American tribes that it was the time of year to gather ripening strawberries.
WILL IT BE PINK IN COLOUR?
No, it won’t be pink in colour. As it got name from strawberry season, people think that it will be pink in colour. The Strawberry moon is likely to appear in reddish or rose colour, mainly because it will rise above the horizon and will get the colour of the rising sun.
WILL IT BE SUPERMOON?
According to Nasa, various publications uses different parameters to decide when a full Moon is close enough to the Earth to qualify as a supermoon. Some believe that this full Moon will be the last of the 4 supermoons this year. The first three was witnessed from March to June.
Some publications do not consider this a supermoon, as it is farther from Earth than the earlier three ones, Nasa said.
DIFFERENT NAMES OF JUNE FULL MOON
In India, the full Moon of Jyestha month is known as Vat Purnima. The old European name is the Honey Moon or Mead Moon as the time around the end of June is harvesting season for honey. In some parts of Europe it is also known as Rose Moon. This name came from the roses that bloom this time of year or the reddish colour of the full Moon.
Some other names for this full Moon are Flower Moon, Hot Moon, Hoe Moon, and Planting Moon. While Buddhists call it Poson Poya, because of the Poson holiday in Sri Lanka. The day is celebrated to commemorate the foundation of Buddhism in 236 BCE.