How to see the full Strawberry Moon 2021 in the UK
An important memo to all skygazers: the time is almost ripe to see the so-called Strawberry Moon, the sixth full Moon of 2021.
And it’s not one to miss. Mere days after the summer solstice – the longest day of the year, in which almost all parts of the UK experienced over 16 and a half hours of sunlight – the Strawberry Moon will be the largest full Moon until next year.
So, when exactly can you see it? How did it get that fruitful name? And will it carry a reddish hue all night, if at all? With the help of Dr Darren Baskill, physics and astronomy lecturer at the University of Sussex, we’ve answered these lunar quandaries and more below.
Plus, if you’re looking for more astronomy 101s, check out our full Moon UK and meteor shower UK calendars, and our astronomy for beginners guide.
When is the Strawberry Moon?
The Strawberry Moon can be seen from the night of Thursday 24 June 2021 in the UK (and around the rest of the Earth).
Astronomically speaking, the Moon is technically ‘full’ (reflecting the maximum amount of sunlight on Earth) for only a short period. This moment, called syzygy, occurs when Earth comes exactly between the Moon and the Sun.
This month, syzygy happens at 7:39pm in the UK on 24 June – an hour before the Moon rises. However, if you’re not looking at it with a telescope, the Moon will still appear ‘full’ two to three days after this moment, being above 99 per cent illuminated.
Interestingly, although the summer solstice was the longest day of the year, the UK’s latest sunset will actually occur on Thursday 24 June 2021 (9:21pm in London).
Read more about the Moon:
Will the Strawberry Moon look red?
Despite its name, the Strawberry Moon won’t appear with a reddish hue all night. However, like any full Moon, it’s possible Earth’s neighbour could appear slightly crimson-coloured as it passes close to the horizon.
“The Moon will slightly change colour depending on where it appears in the sky,” explains Baskill.
“It’s all to do with the curvature of Earth. When you stand outside and look directly up, you’re looking through about 30km of atmosphere. But look to the horizon and you’re looking through about 300km of atmosphere.”
This means, when appearing from the horizon, the white light reflected by the Moon must travel further through the atmosphere. And, because blue (shorter wavelength) light ‘bends’ or ‘scatters’ more than so red light, not as much of it will reach your eye. Without those shorter wavelengths, only the more yellow/red colour will be left. Thus, the Moon may appear red in the sky.
“You can see evidence of this scattering effect yourself by shining a torch through a bottle of milky water,” says Baskill.
“The bottom sides of the bottle will appear blue (as that light most scatters), while the end of the bottle will appear red. This is because all the blue light has been bent away by this point.”
Why is it called a Strawberry Moon?
The name, according to some sources (such as the US Farmers’ Almanac), originates from native American groups, who harvested strawberries during this time of year. However many argue this explanation is oversimplistic at best, and culturally insensitive at worst.
This is because, as Baskill argues, such reasoning tends to condense all native American groups into one, ignoring how they are as culturally (and linguistically) diverse as Europeans.
“And no one seems to know who is inventing these generalisations!” Baskill says.
“Plus, native Americans have plenty of variations on Moon names – highlighting one is very much cherry-picking!”
Indeed, other native American groups also call the June full Moon the ‘Full Leaf Moon’, the ‘Green Corn Moon’ and ‘Peach Moon’.
How far away will the Strawberry Moon be?
When ‘full’, the Moon will be 360,221km away from Earth – almost nine times the circumference the globe. The Strawberry Moon will be over 8,000km closer to Earth than during July’s full Moon.
How often do full Moons happen?
Generally, once a month. A full Moon happens roughly every 29.5 days, the length of one lunar cycle.
Next’s month’s full Moon, known as the Buck Moon to some, will reach syzygy on Saturday 24 July.
About our expert, Dr Darren Baskill
Dr Baskill is an outreach officer and lecturer in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Sussex. A keen astrophotographer, he previously lectured at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, where he also initiated the annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. Baskill is also a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of the Institute of Physics.
You can follow him on Twitter.
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from... sciencefocus.com
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