Strawberry moon will soon light up Boise night sky. Is it actually red?
The strawberry moon will light the Boise night sky as the month of July approaches.
June’s full moon comes about a week after the official start of summer.
Here’s when to look up:
When is the next full moon?
June’s full moon will reach peak illumination in Boise at 5:56 p.m. on Monday, June 29, according to Time and Date.
The last time the strawberry moon fell during the summer season was in June 2024, the world clock website said.
The June full moon will be the second micromoon of the year, which means it will appear smaller and dimmer than usual, according to Forbes.
Micromoons occur when the lunar body is at its farthest possible distance from Earth.
Will the strawberry moon be visible in Boise?
While Boise area is forecast to see rain showers, thunderstorms and plunging temperatures over the weekend, the rain won’t last, the Idaho Statesman reported previously.
According to the National Weather Service’s current seven-day forecast for Boise, Monday is expected to be “mostly sunny” during the day with clear night skies for lunar gazing.
Why is June’s full moon called the strawberry moon?
The name “strawberry moon” has been used by a number of Native American tribes to “mark the ripening of ‘June-bearing’ strawberries that are ready to be gathered,” the Old Farmer’s Almanac said.
According to online Idaho garden harvesting guide Pick Your Own, strawberries will be ripe for the picking at the start of July, just a few days after the full moon in June.
Other names for June’s full moon “highlight that this is a time for new life” or tending young crops, according to the almanac.
They include the bloom moon, green corn moon, birth moon or egg laying moon.
What color is the strawberry moon?
There are several reasons why Luna may have a pink or red hue, but strawberries have nothing to do with it, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
“The name ‘strawberry moon’ has nothing to do with the moon’s hue or appearance,” the Old Farmer’s Almanac said. “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.”
A lunar eclipse may also cast a bloody hue onto the celestial orb as sunlight bends around the Earth when it passes between the moon and the sun, according to NASA.
“This is because our planet blocks most of the sun’s light from reaching the moon, and the light that does reach the lunar surface is filtered through a thick slice of Earth’s atmosphere,” the space agency explained. “It’s as if all of the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the moon.”
Lunar eclipses are also known as blood moons.
