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Look up! The Strawberry Moon appears on June 11. Will the last full Moon of spring be strawberry red? Learn more about this unusual full Moon and how it got its name.
The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from many places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Historically, names for the full or new Moons were used to track the seasons. Today, we think of Moon names as “nicknames” for the Moon.
June’s full Moon—typically the last full Moon of spring or the first of summer—has traditionally been called the Strawberry Moon. While strawberries certainly are a reddish-pink color and are roundish in shape, the origin of the name “Strawberry Moon” has nothing to do with the Moon’s hue or appearance, despite the evocative imagery (shown in the artist rendering below). A Moon usually appears reddish when it’s close to the horizon because the light rays must pass through the densest layers of the atmosphere.
This “Strawberry Moon” name has been used by Native American Algonquian tribes that live in the northeastern United States as well as the Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples to mark the ripening of “June-bearing” strawberries that are ready to be gathered. The Haida term Berries Ripen Moon reflects this as well. As flowers bloom and early fruit ripens, June is a time of great abundance for many.
Alternative June Moon Names
Over time, many cultures have used different names for the 12 full moons experienced each year. Usually, they’re not based on color but on a common activity that takes place that time of year.
Blooming Moon (Anishinaabe) is indicative of the flowering season, while Green Corn Moon (Cherokee) and Hoer Moon (Western Abenaki) suggest that it’s time to tend to young crops.
Other names highlight that this is a time of new life: The Tlingit have used the term Birth Moon, referring to the time when certain animals are born in their region (the Pacific Northwest). Egg Laying Moon and Hatching Moon are Cree terms that also hint at a time when many animal babies were born.
Alternative European names for this Moon include the Honey Moon and the Mead Moon. June was traditionally the month of marriage and is even named after the Roman goddess of marriage, Juno. Following marriage comes the “honeymoon,” which may be tied to this alternative Moon name!
Bob Berman, astronomer editor for The Old Farmer’s Almanac, covers everything under the Sun (and Moon)! Bob is the world’s most widely read astronomer and has written ten popular books. Read More from Bob Berman
Hi,
I was checking nasa website, june full moon will be 10,000km closer than may full moon 3A and atleast 20,000km closer than feb full moon (apogee). It will be around 376,000mi.. so it will be larger than the previous full moons of 2024..
Followed by July full moon sitting more close at 368000mi, and then Aug the super moons start..
But moon will definitely be bigger from june..
Hi,
I was checking nasa website, june full moon will be 10,00pkm closer than may and atleast 20,000km closer than feb apogee. It will be around 376,000mi.. so it will be larger than previous moon. And july full moon will be in 368,000 distance more close before the supermoon starts..
Worth mentioning
We are in southern hemisphere so longest night and full moon.
When there is a full moon I put my crystals, amethyst and rose quartz, out on my patio to let the moonlight recharge them. I also put a bottle of water to capture the energy of the full moon. It really feels energizing to drink. A friend suggested it and I was skeptical, but it really works!