The lunar calendar for June 2023 warns us not to wait too long to contemplate the third and last full moon of spring. The sixth full moon of the year is known as the Strawberry Moon and it takes place this Sunday, June 4.
The June full moon will arrive exactly at 5:42 p.m. on Sunday the 4th and under the sign of Sagittarius, according to data from the National Geographic Institute (IGN). That is the precise moment from an astronomical point of view when the face of our satellite will be fully illuminated by the Sun.
However, during Saturday June 3 and Monday June 5, the entire face of the moon will be equally bright, since the phase change (new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter) is gradual and the differences in the percentage of surface illuminated from one day to the next are practically imperceptible to the eye.
The next time the full moon appears in the sky will be in a new season of the year (July 3), since the summer solstice will take place at 4:58 p.m. on June 21.
There may be those who look up at the night sky this Sunday hoping to see a moon of a special color, since the full moon in June is known as the Strawberry Moon. However, it is an alias that has nothing to do with chromatic issues.
The origin of the names of the full moons goes back to the times of the natives of North America, who baptized the full moons according to an important fact related in most cases to some aspect of agriculture or hunting that occurred in each month. In this way, until today we have received the following annual list of full moons:
This nomenclature originating from the current United States and Canada is being imposed in recent times, but the truth is that the full moons of each month are also known by other names in other parts of the planet. The June moon, for example, is called a honeymoon (since it coincides with the beginning of the harvest of this food) or a hot moon (because of the high temperatures that begin to appear).
To see the show on the full moon in June, it is enough to situate yourself in a place with little light pollution and, if possible, at a high point and without obstacles that make it difficult to observe. It is not necessary to have a telescope to contemplate the satellite, since it is enough to look at it with our own eyes to even distinguish certain features of its illuminated face. Of course, the use of binoculars allows you to appreciate more details of its surface.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project