Strawberry Moon paints sky pink: Know how it got its name

The night sky on Monday was painted in a strawberry hue with the full moon in all its glory. This full Moon, called the Strawberry Moon, gets its name from the Algonquin tribes in North America, who harvested wild berries at exactly this time in the year, according to NASA.

When the Sun appears highest in the sky near the summer solstice, the Full Moon opposite the Sun generally appears lowest in the sky. Particularly for Europe’s higher latitudes, the full Moon nearest the summer solstice shines through more atmosphere than at other times of the year. This can give the full Moon a reddish or rose color, mainly because it is the colour of the rising sun, according to NASA.

The Strawberry Moon that began at 2 pm IST on 17 June, Monday will be visible for about three full days around the same time, from Sunday night to Tuesday evening, according to Gordon Johnston at NASA.

Observers will also be able to see the planet Jupiter shine during the full Moon till 4 pm IST on 18 June, Tuesday.

Around every 20 years, the Strawberry Moon coincides with the summer solstice, which is either on June 20, 21, or 22.

The phenomenon is called ‘Strawberry moon’ because the Old Farmers Almanac says the Alongquin tribes, based around New England and Lake Superior in the US, marked the phenomenon in concurrence with the strawberry harvest season.

There are other old myths surrounding the Strawberry moon. Europeans also call this moon a Mead Moon or the Honey Moon. Mead is a drink that is made by fermenting honey that has been mixed with water, fruits, grains or spices. June was usually the time for marriages in Europe, which made the "Honey Moon" literally significant. The Moon also gets its name from the fact that honey was harvested during this time of the moon.

The seventh full moon of the year, 16 July will be the Buck Moon.