The June Full Moon Rises Tonight With a Color You Won't See Again Until Next Summer
Alexis Thornton
2 hours agoJune’s full moon reaches its peak tonight, Monday, June 29, at 7:57 p.m. Eastern time. Named the Strawberry Moon by Algonquin and other Native American tribes, it is the first full moon of summer and one of the most visually rewarding of the year, particularly in the hour after sunset when it climbs above the horizon and takes on a warm amber glow.
Why It’s Called the Strawberry Moon
The name has nothing to do with the Moon’s color or appearance. It comes from the agricultural calendars of Algonquin and other North American tribes, who timed the ripening of wild strawberries to June. The Virginia strawberry, Fragaria virginiana, ripens naturally across the contiguous United States, Canada, and Alaska in early summer, making the full moon of June a natural harvest marker. The name entered mainstream almanacs through colonial-era adoption of Indigenous seasonal knowledge.
June’s full moon goes by several other names depending on tradition. In Europe, it was often called the Rose Moon, for the roses in bloom. Anglo-Saxon calendars called it the Mead Moon, marking the time when meadows were mowed. It is also known as the Hot Moon and the Honey Moon — a likely source of the word honeymoon, reflecting the old tradition of marriages in early summer. NASA staff have their own informal name: the LRO Moon, honoring the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter launched in June 2009.