Astronomer explained the "strawberry" name of the June full moon

The name "Strawberry Moon", which is often used to refer to the June full moon, is widely used in near-scientific blogs and the media. However, it has no scientific origin and has nothing to do with the color change of the Earth's satellite. Lyudmila Koshman, an astronomer and researcher at the Moscow Planetarium, told Izvestia about this.

"The poetic names of the full moons — "Strawberry", "Strawberry", "Corn" or "Deer" — were given by Native Americans and recorded in the "Farmer's Almanac", which is still widely quoted. They have become widespread in Russia only in recent decades. They are often picked up by bloggers and the media," Koshman explained.

According to her, such formulations give astronomical phenomena imagery, emotional coloring and are easy to remember, which can explain their popularity. However, they are not used in modern scientific astronomy.

"The names of the full moons of the year that are found on the Internet belong to folklore and have nothing to do with the color of the Earth's satellite or the names of its full phase," she stressed.

Koshman also dispelled the idea that the Moon can turn pink or reddish on a "strawberry" full moon. She noted that the color of the satellite can indeed change, but this is due to other reasons.

"For example, the moon may take on a different color at the time of a total eclipse. Why is this happening? Because at this time, the Moon, being in the shadow of the Earth, takes on a red, bard or brown color, as it is illuminated by sunlight that has passed through the Earth's atmosphere," said the astronomer.

In general, as the expert emphasizes, the June full moon is not fundamentally different from other full moons of the year. Its features are related only to the position of the Moon in orbit, which may make it appear slightly smaller than usual.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

Full Moon in June: the secrets of the last "mini moon" of the year