After the first full day of summer comes June’s full moon, also known as the “strawberry moon.”
But this year’s moon will be a little different, experts say.
The Farmer’s Almanac reports that the summer full moon will reach peak illumination at 8:08 p.m. CT on June 21. According to the Almanac, the full moon will be the lowest we’ve seen in some time – and this in turn. make the moon appear particularly large and could even change color.
“Since the June 2024 Full Moon occurs on the solstice, the same day the Sun is absolutely at its highest of the year, this month’s Full Moon, on the 21st, is the lowest Full Moon , in fact, the lowest we have seen in years,” the Almanac reported. “Look at it! Because the Moon is so low, it will appear larger than ever. This is called the ‘lunar illusion’.”
Although the name “strawberry moon” doesn’t actually come from the color of the moon itself, this month’s moon will likely have an orange-red hue.
Because the moon will remain so low in the sky, the horizon will likely give it a colorful hue, but will also result in less moonlight, leaving the night largely black.
Why is it called “strawberry moon”?
According to the Almanac, the name comes from the Algonquian Native American tribes, as well as the Ojibwe, Dakota and Lakota peoples, who referred to “the ripening of strawberries ‘in June’ ready for picking.”
summer solstice
The moon caps a week of rarities as the summer solstice occurs around 3:50 p.m. CT on June 20 in Chicago. Around this time, the Chicago area experienced its longest day of the year, with about 15 hours, 13 minutes, and 41 seconds of daylight — the most we’ll see in a single day this year, according to timeanddate. com.
The summer solstice is the time when the sun reaches its highest and northernmost point in the sky, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, marking the first day of astronomical summer.
It is also known as the day with the longest period of sunshine, or the longest day of the year – for those in the northern hemisphere.
According to Accuweather, this year’s solstice will be the earliest in 228 years. The last time the solstice was this early was June 20, 1796.
“The exact day and time of the solstice varies slightly from year to year,” the publication reports.
Weather Network called the change for 2024 “something exceptional,” noting that the start of the solstice could also be linked to it being a leap year.
“Our calendar still remains slightly out of sync with the solar year. As a result, each leap year the spring equinox occurs approximately 40 to 50 minutes earlier than the spring equinox of the previous leap year,” he said. reported the network.
It is also worth noting that the spring equinox fell on March 19, marking only the second time in over a century that it has fallen on that day and thus becoming the first spring equinox in 128 years.
“Even accounting for the fact that there was no daylight saving time back then, the summer solstice of 2024 is even earlier,” the Weather Network reported.
And it looks like fall and winter will be similar, with the autumnal equinox being the earliest since 1797 and the winter solstice the earliest since 1798.
Going forward, every leap year after 2024 will also see equinoxes and solstices “even earlier,” the Weather Network said.
NBC Chicago
