The Full Strawberry Moon

The June Full Moon is called the Full Strawberry Moon. This Full Moon got its name from the Algonquin tribes who knew it as a signal to gather the ripening fruit of wild strawberries. It has also been known as the Honey Moon, Mead Moon, and the Full Rose Moon in Europe. 

You may be asking yourself, Where the names for full moons came from? 

This is an age-old practice, nothing new. Ancient peoples commonly tracked the seasons by following the lunar calendar (versus today’s solar calendar).

For millennia, people across the world, including Native Americans, named the months after nature’s cues. Later, Colonial Americans adopted many of the Native American names and incorporated them into the modern calendar, as you will see in The Old Farmer’s Almanac founded in 1792 during George Washington’s presidency.

The full Moon for June rises at 12:54am Thursday morning. The Moon is not the only star of the show! (No pun intended) Saturn has been visible since  Tuesday night, Saturn will be opposite the sun in the sky. This means that Earth will be at its closest point of the year to the ringed planet, providing a great opportunity to check out those rings for yourself. Normally, Saturn's rings are about as bright as the planet itself, but according to Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, they will clearly appear brighter than the planet this week. The rings are also currently tilted in such a way that they will be perfect for observing from Earth. It may even be possible to view some of Saturn's notable moons, like frozen (but perhaps not totally dead) Enceladus. 

So head outside with a telescope or binoculars if you can and look for Saturn shining in the east relatively close to the big moon. And if you can't find it, you'll have plenty of time to look as the gas giant will remain in a good place for observation through July and August.