Is the Strawberry Moon in June 2021 pink and at what time?
On Thursday, as the full moon rises in the sky, skywatchers will be able to glimpse the strawberry moon. According to NASA, the strawberry moon will attain its greatest luminance at 2:40 p.m. EDT, however it will not be seen until later when it rises over the horizon. According to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, full moons can appear full for up to three days, so there will be more opportunities to see the strawberry moon in the sky if you miss it on Thursday. A full moons name refers to the season in which it appears. As a result, many names, such as the pink moon, have naturalistic connotations. The full moon in June is known as the strawberry moon.  The name has been used by a number of Native American peoples to commemorate the ripening of strawberries in the month, according to The Old Farmers Almanac. The Anishinaabe word Blooming Moon and the Cherokee phrase Green Corn Moon are two other names for the full moon in June. Some claim the moniker strawberry moon comes from the moons tint at this time of year, according to Gordon Johnston, a retired NASA planetary program executive who produces monthly articles for the space agency on lunar activity and other skywatching opportunities. Its possible that this is due to the moons position. The full moon closest to the summer solstice shines through more atmosphere than at other times of the year at Europes higher latitudes, making it more likely to have a reddish color, Johnston wrote. It should be mentioned that whether the moon appears pink or red on Thursday is unknown. Its possible that its just the hue its always been. Heres a link to a moonrise calculator. Because of the way light is scattered through the Earths atmosphere, the moon can appear red, orange, or pink at times. The reddish effect happens when the moons light has more atmosphere to get through. This explains why the moon appears red or pink when it is low in the sky, as well as why sunsets and sunrises have distinct colors. The Virtual Telescope Project, situated in Italy, is about to launch. This is a condensed version of the information.