In Light Of The Lunar Eclipse, The Strawberry Full Moon Is Coming On The 5th And 6th Of June: Here's All About It

A Strawberry Full Moon is due to occur on the 5th and 6th of June. This Strawberry Moon is due to a lunar eclipse when the Earth moves in front of the Sun and the Sun can therefore no longer light up the Moon. When you normally see the Moon what you are seeing is the Sun’s rays hitting it and then reflecting back to us on Earth, however as we pass in front of the Sun’s rays the Moon will be shaded and will instead give off a strawberry or rose colour. This is known also as a penumbral eclipse.

In some parts of the world the Strawberry Moon will appear as long as 3 hours but in others you will only see a small effect. In North and South America it seems unlikely that much will be seen (in far South America it may be possible to just see the Moon get slightly darker), but for Asia, Australia and Europe the effect should be clearly visible.

While one of these eclipses already occurred this year on January 10th, further similar events will take place on June 5th, July 5th and November 31st.

The origin of the term ‘Strawberry Moon’, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac is from the Algonquin tribes of North America, who because the moon took on a strawberry colour, indicated to them that they should begin harvesting wild strawberries.

1

However, many ancient cultures all across the world have their own beliefs and rituals related to lunar eclipses. Some South American tribes believed that an eclipse was a sign that the God’s were angry and wished to devour the Sun or the Moon. Which must have been very scary. Thankfully these days we know scientifically what is happening so we can enjoy the splendour of the eclipse without becoming too scared!

Why not check the times of the Strawberry Moon in your area and set your alarm so that you remember. You can check when the lunar eclipse is going to occur by clicking here.

Timeanddate.com is a fantastic resource as it allows you to see through interactive tools as to exactly when the eclipse will occur and over which geographical areas. It is also a great site to bookmark for future reference as it carries this info for lots of solar events.