The ‘strawberry moon' will look huge in WA this week. Here's when to see it
But you'll have to stay up late to see it.
In fact, this year's strawberry moon will be at the lowest point in the sky in decades, due to a phenomenon that causes the moon's tilted orbit to be dragged around by the sun's gravitational influence, according to EarthSky.org. This year's strawberry moon will also happen at the same time as a major lunar standstill, according to Weather.com.
Here's when to look up and the origins of the moon's name.
The strawberry moon will reach peak illumination on Wednesday, June 11, at 12:44 a.m. Pacific, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac .
Stargazers can look for the moon rising low in the east after sunset on June 10, according to EarthSky.org. It will reach its highest point in the sky after midnight on June 11, and it'll lie low in the west shortly before sunrise.
Though the moon does appear a reddish color when it's close to the horizon, the name 'strawberry moon' has nothing to do with its color.
The name has been used by Native American tribes to mark the ripening of 'June-bearing' strawberries that are ready to be gathered, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Other names for the moon include the 'Blooming Moon,' which some Native American tribes used to mark the start of flowering season, and the 'Birth Moon,' which refers to a certain time when animals are born in the region.
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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
You can't see it, but a rare 'black moon' is due this week. How it happens.
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Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is on the verge of erupting again
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Many have featured lava soaring into the air, in some cases more than 1,000 feet (300 meters.) The fountains are generated in part because magma — which holds gasses that are released as it rises — has been traveling to the surface through narrow, pipe-like vents. The expanding magma supply is capped by heavier magma that had expelled its gas at the end of the prior episode. Eventually enough new magma accumulates to force the degassed magma off, and the magma shoots out like champagne bottle that was shaken before the cork was popped. This is the fourth time in 200 years that Kilauea has shot lava fountains into the air in repeated episodes. There were more episodes the last time Kilauea followed this pattern: the eruption that began in 1983 started with 44 sessions of shooting fountains. Those were spread out over three years, however. And the fountains emerged in a remote area so few got to watch. The other two occurred in 1959 and 1969. Predicting Kilauea's future Scientists don't know how the current eruption will end or how it may change. In 1983, magma built enough pressure that Kilauea opened a vent at a lower elevation and started continuously leaking lava from there rather than periodically shooting out of a higher elevation. The eruption continued in various forms for three decades and only ended in 2018. Something similar could happen again. Or the current eruption could instead stop at the summit if its magma supply peters out. Scientists can estimate a few days or even a week ahead of time when lava is likely to emerge with the help of sensors around the volcano that detect earthquakes and miniscule changes in the angle of the ground, which indicate when magma is inflating or deflating. 'Our job is like being a bunch of ants crawling on an elephant trying to figure out how the elephant works,' Hon said. The lava fountains have been shorter lately. 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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
A 'groundbreaking' ocean discovery may be a clue about extraterrestrial life
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