The Strawberry Moon was captured by people rising above the Empire State Building, behind Stonehenge and at various other places. The netizens shared beautiful pictures of the moon, which appeared pink in colour and shined radiantly in the night sky.
The moon’s honey colour is caused by pollution and dust in the atmosphere of the Earth which distorts the light of the natural satellite.
Here’s why this full moon is called ‘Strawberry Moon’
The name ‘Strawberry Moon’ has nothing to do with the colour of the full moon in the month of June, but it is related to ancient traditions. Interestingly, this full moon also has other names like Red Moon, Honey Moon, Flower Moon, Hot Moon, Hoe Moon and Planting Moon.
As per NASA, the Maine Farmers’ Almanac started publishing full moons’ Native American names in the 1930s. The June full moon was linked to Native American tribes like the Algonquin.
“The Maine Farmer’s Almanac first published Indian names for the full Moons in the 1930’s. According to this almanac, the full Moon in June or the last full Moon of Spring is known as the Strawberry Moon, a name universal to just about every Algonquin tribe,” explained NASA.
The moon was given the name “Strawberry Moon” as strawberry plants bloomed in North America. The full moon was a reminder to collect and harvest the ripe strawberries of the region.
Explaining its other names as Mead Moon or Honey Moon, NASA stated, “Mead is a drink created by fermenting honey mixed with water, sometimes with fruits, spices, grains, or hops.”
“The tradition of calling the first month of marriage the ‘honeymoon’ dates back to at least the 1500’s and may be tied to this full Moon, either because of the custom of marrying in June or because the “Honey Moon” is the “sweetest” Moon of the year,” it added.
“Some writings suggest that the time around the Summer solstice at the end of June was when honey was ripe and ready to be harvested from hives or from the wild, which made this the ‘sweetest’ Moon,” NASA further stated.
The stargazers also had the opportunity to see Mars and Venus in the night as they appeared in the western parts. Venus, which was positioned at a distance of 67 million miles (109 million kilometres) from Earth, was spotted like a luminous white speck, around 22 degrees above the horizon.
Meanwhile, Mars which has recently traversed the sparkling Beehive Cluster, was visible at around 28 degrees above the horizon. The people are the next going to witness a full moon on July 3 when the Buck Moon will shine in the night sky.
