The Strawberry Moon, the first full moon of the astronomical summer, rises in the southeast.
The full moon is set to peak at 7:57 PM EDT on Monday, June 29, with moonrise around sunset.
Skywatchers in Washington can expect to see it at 20.53 local time, while those in Miami must look up at 20.24, Chicago at 20.49 and Los Angeles at 20.26
Although it’s called Strawberry Moon, it doesn’t actually look pink or red. The name comes from Native American and Colonial American traditions marking the short harvest season for strawberries in northeastern North America.
But the moon can also appear orange or gold when it rises just near the horizon because of the scattering effect our planet’s atmosphere has on the shorter wavelengths of light.
What makes the full moon in June unique is its very low position in the sky. Unlike the other full moons that are seen in the winter months and reach their highest point in the sky, the June full moon takes a shallow path, moving from the southeast to southwest parts of the sky near the horizon.
The next full moon, called the Buck Moon, will appear on July 29.
