Get ready to scan the skies for the second supermoon of the year.
June’s strawberry moon will appear opposite the sun and reach its peak illumination at 7:52 a.m. EDT Tuesday, and it will remain full through Wednesday morning, NASA reported.
But the unique moon won’t be visible to stargazers in North America until later Tuesday night when it drifts above the horizon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Be on the lookout for a moon that appears larger and brighter than the typical full moon, especially after sunset Tuesday. The strawberry moon will be visible toward the southeast as it rises above the horizon with a golden hue.
What is a supermoon?
Supermoons happen when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth, giving off the appearance of a larger and brighter full moon, the Old Farmer’s Almanac said.
June’s full moon stands at a distance of 222,238.4 miles from Earth, according to the almanac, and NASA experts say it’ll reach its closest point to Earth for this orbit – called perigee – at 7:24 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
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The full moon Tuesday night into Wednesday morning will be the lowest full moon of 2022. It will reach only 23.3 degrees above the horizon Wednesday morning at 1:56 a.m. EDT.
People living in the South and Southwest will be treated to the best views of June’s supermoon, and experts say it’s best to check it out as it rises or sets. That is when it will appear largest to the naked eye.
May’s flower moon marked the first supermoon of the year, according to the almanac. The next full supermoon will appear July 13.
Why is it called the strawberry moon?
June’s full moon has traditionally been nicknamed the strawberry moon, but don’t be deceived by the name: Its origin has nothing to do with the moon’s hue or appearance, according to the almanac.
Native American Algonquin tribes inhabiting the northeastern U.S. – along with the Ojibwe, Dakota and Lakota peoples — have used the strawberry moon to mark the time for gathering ripened June-bearing strawberries, the almanac said.
The Maine Farmer’s Almanac started publishing Native American names for full moons in the 1930s, according to NASA.
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Other European names for June’s full moon have been the mead or honey moon, and the rose moon.
For all the early risers looking to catch a glimpse of the strawberry moon, Tuesday also will feature 2022’s earliest sunrise at 5:42 a.m. EDT, according to NASA.