JACKSON, Wyo. — June’s full moon, also known as the Strawberry Moon, will reach peak illumination at 7:10 p.m. on Friday, June 21.
This will be the lowest angle at which a full moon appears in the sky all year, according to NASA. When the moon is lower in the sky, it is more likely to take on a reddish hue as it shines through denser layers of the atmosphere. The moon began to appear full on Thursday night, and will continue to look full through Sunday morning.
In North America, June is a time of great abundance during early summer, with flowers blooming and fruit ripening. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Anishnabe (Algonquin), Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe), Isanti (Dakota) and Teton Sioux (Lakota) peoples, among others, referred to the entire June lunar month as the Strawberry Moon, a nod to the ripening strawberries that occur all month long. The Haida term “Berries Ripen Moon” reflects this as well.
Other names for the June full moon include “Blooming Moon,” by the Anishinaabeg, “Green Corn Moon” by the Ani’-Yun’wiya’ (Cherokee) and “Hoer Moon” by the Alnôbak (Western Abenaki). These names suggest the flowering season and young crops that begin growing in June.
The Tlingit call June’s full moon the “Birth moon” to align with the birth of animals in the Pacific Northwest. The Iyiniwok (Cree) used the terms “Egg Laying Moon” and “Hatching Moon,” another nod to the new life June brings.
Some European names for June’s full moon include the “Honey Moon” and the “Mead Moon.” Traditionally June is the month of marriage, named after the Roman goddess of marriage, Juno. The Honey Moon may be tied to the “honeymoon” that follows marriage.
