During the month of June, the sky will be marked by several events that will be visible to the naked eye for all astronomy fans. In addition to a beautiful meteor shower, there will be a new supermoon. This one is called the super strawberry moon. Do you know why? No, it's not because of its colour, although the Earth's satellite will have a reddish tinge.
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The tradition of harvesting the fruit
Indeed, the strawberry supermoon takes its name from... the fruit! Or rather the time when it is customary for native Americans to harvest the fruit in the southern hemisphere. As reported by The Telegraph, Native Americans didn’t use Gregorian or Julian calendars, instead, they based the seasons on the different full moons.
In 2021, Forbes called the strawberry supermoon ‘the most beautiful astronomical phenomenon of the summer’. That's how important it is.
But what is a supermoon anyway? As always when it comes to astronomy, NASA has the answer. And the agency states that:
A 'supermoon' occurs when the full moon coincides with the time when the moon comes closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point called perigee.
The proximity of the moon explains why it appears larger than usual at this time. There will also be three to four supermoons per year, the previous one being the flower supermoon on 16 May.
When to observe the strawberry supermoon?
This new supermoon will take place on 14 June. In the UK, it will be at its peak at 12:51 (GMT), but we advise you to wait until nightfall and to settle, if possible, in a place where light pollution is minimal to better appreciate this event.
Moreover, if astronomy is one of your passions, you should know that other events await you this month, in particular, the Bootids meteor shower on 26 June.
This article was translated from Gentside FR.
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