Stunning Strawberry Moon will glow a golden hue in the night sky this week – and appear ‘bigger than ever’

A stunning Strawberry Moon is set to glow a golden hue when it fills the night sky on Friday, marking the first full moon of the summer season.

The sweet name is associated with the strawberry season, with berries ripe for the picking around this time in the US.

The moon will be its brightest and fullest at 9:08pm ET and continue to beam through the weekend.

Because the celestial event happens on summer solstice, when the sun is at its highest point of the year, the moon will also ‘appear bigger than ever.’

‘Since the 2024 June full Moon happens on the solstice, the very day the sun is absolutely at its highest of the year, this month’s full moon on the 21st is the very lowest full moon, indeed, the lowest we’ve seen in years,’ The Farmers Almanac astronomy editor Bob Berman wrote.

‘Because the moon is so low, it will appear bigger than ever. This is called the ‘Moon Illusion.’

Skygazers should look southeast to watch the full moon rise above the horizon – and there it will appear large and golden-hued.

While the main event is on Friday, the moon will appear nearly full on Thursday, according to NASA.

The gold hue is because the moon takes a low, shallow path across the sky, but the name stems from the Native American Algonquin tribes.

The tribes lived in the northeaster region for about 8,000 years before English settlers arrived and used the June full moon to know when strawberries were ripe for harvesting. 

And legend has it that if you eat a strawberry under the full moon in June then any wish you desire will come true.

Ancient Europeans have also coined the moon as the Mead or Honey Moon.

Mead is a drink created by fermenting honey mixed with water and sometimes fruits, spices, grains, or hops. In some countries, Mead is also called Honey Wine. 

Skygazers should look southeast to watch the full moon rise above the horizon – and there it will appear large and golden-hued. Pictured is the 2021 Strawberry Moon in the UK

Some writings have suggested that the time around the end of June was when honey was ready for harvesting, which made this the ‘sweetest’ Moon. 

And the word ‘honeymoon’ traces back to at least the 1500s in Europe. 

‘The tradition of calling the first month of marriage the ‘honeymoon’ may be tied to this full Moon because of the custom of marrying in June or because the ‘Honey Moon’ is the ‘sweetest’ Moon of the year.,’ according to NASA’s Gordon Johnston.

‘There doesn’t appear to be enough evidence to support a 19th-century theory that the word entered English from the custom of gifting newlyweds mead for their first month of marriage.’

For Hindus, this is Vat Purnima, when married women show their love by tying a ceremonial thread around a banyan tree. 

The celebration is based on the legend of Savitri and Satyavan.

For Buddhists, particularly in Sri Lanka, this full moon is Poson Poya that marks the introduction of Buddhism in 236 BCE.