June's full moon is the lowest full moon since 2006. How to see it tonight
The strawberries are ripening, which means it's time for June's "Strawberry Moon," and this one is set be extra special.
The moon won't be red in color like it was during the blood moon in March but a gold color. Rather, this full moon coincides with the annual harvest of the favorite berry.
June's Strawberry Moon takes its name from seasonal plant growth, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Many ripening strawberries were ready to be harvested around this time in the northeastern United States.
This full moon has the distinction of being the lowest in the sky since 2006, an event that won't happen again until 2043. This is due to a phenomenon known as a "major lunar standstill" or "lunistice," a part of a natural cycle that takes place over 18.6 years that subtly changes where the moon rises and sets, according to BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
Here's what to know about the full moon in June.
It will be on the rise on Wednesday, June 11, at 3:44 a.m.
It will be at its fullest at 3:44 a.m. ET, according to NASA. But because it's so early in the day, the best time to view the moon will be June 10, when it rises at sunset, according to LiveScience.
While the day is supposed to be rainy, by tonight skies are expected to start clearing in Rhode Island, according to AccuWeather, meaning people will probably be able to see the full moon.
The June full moon will be a micromoon, which means it will appear smaller and dimmer than it usually does. That's because the moon is currently at its farthest point point from the Earth. The moon also will appear about 14% smaller and 30% dimmer.
The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere. In 2025, it will fall on Friday, June 20.
Every 20 years or so, the Strawberry Moon falls on the same day at the summer solstice, according to the Time & Date website. This year, won't be one of those times.
According to reports, the Strawberry Moon will coincide with the summer solstice again in 2062.
A full moon can be seen clearly with the naked eye.
But in a past interview with USA Today Network, Tim Brothers, Massachusetts Institute of Technology technical Instructor and observatory manager, said with any case of stargazing, it's much better if you're using a good telescope or a pair of binoculars.
According to Time and Date, they include:
Strawberry Moon: June 11, 2025
Buck Moon: July 10, 2025
Sturgeon Moon: Aug. 9, 2025
Corn Moon: Sept. 7, 2025
Harvest Moon: Oct. 6, 2025
In 2025, there will be several supermoons. The next one will be on Oct. 7.
USA Today contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: June's full moon is the lowest since 2006. How to see it tonight
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
World's first images of the sun's south pole spark 'a new era of solar science'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Just this once, it's OK to stare at the sun — provided you're looking at the European Space Agency's (ESA) newly released, history-making images of the solar south pole. Taken near the sun on March 23 and revealed to Earthlings Wednesday (June 11), the new images from ESA's Solar Orbiter show a view of our star that no human or spacecraft has ever recorded before. While Earth and the other planets orbit relatively in line with the sun's equator on an invisible plane called the ecliptic, Solar Orbiter spent the last several months tilting its orbit to 17 degrees below the solar equator — bringing our star's enigmatic south pole into view for the first time ever. "Today we reveal humankind's first-ever views of the Sun's pole," Carole Mundell, ESA's director of science, said in a statement. "These new unique views from our Solar Orbiter mission are the beginning of a new era of solar science." The new images capture the solar pole in a broad swath of visible and ultraviolet wavelengths, using three of Solar Orbiter's 10 onboard instruments. The result is a colorful confetti of solar data, including an unprecedented look at the perplexing tangles of the sun's magnetic field as it prepares to flip, and the high-velocity movements of specific chemical elements as they ride plumes of plasma that make up the solar wind — the constant stream of charged particles that governs space weather throughout our solar system. These data will help improve our understanding of the solar wind, space weather and the sun's roughly 11-year activity cycle for years to come, according to ESA. But of particular interest right now, as the sun spits out flares in overdrive during its period of peak activity (called solar maximum), are the magnetic measurements taken with Solar Orbiter's Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) instrument. Related: NASA spacecraft snaps eerie image of eclipsed sun with an extra moon overhead. What's going on? PHI's maps of the solar magnetic field highlight an intriguing paradox: While most magnets have a distinct north and south pole, the sun's south pole is roiling with both north and south polarity magnetic fields (shown as blue and red patches in the corresponding images). According to ESA, this mess of magnetism is a temporary phenomenon that hints that the sun's magnetic field is about to flip, as it does once every 11 years or so. This magnetic reversal signifies the end of the high-activity solar maximum and begins a transition toward the relative calm of the next solar minimum. When the next minimum begins, approximately five to six years from now, the sun's poles should show only one type of magnetic polarity apiece as our star takes a break from launching violent space weather tantrums. RELATED STORIES —A mysterious, 100-year solar cycle may have just restarted — and it could mean decades of dangerous space weather —NASA's Parker Solar Probe spots powerful magnetic explosion aimed at the sun's surface —Ancient superpowered solar storm that hit Earth 14,000 years ago is the 'biggest ever identified' Solar Orbiter will have several more chances to test these predictions over the coming years. With a little help from the gravitational pull of Venus, Solar Orbiter will continue tilting its orbit further from the solar equator, reaching a tilt of 24 degrees in December 2026 and a whopping 33 degrees in June 2029. These ever-more-angular vantage points will expose the solar poles in even greater detail, improving our knowledge of our home star with every flyby. "This is just the first step of Solar Orbiter's 'stairway to heaven'," Daniel Müller, ESA's Solar Orbiter project scientist, said in the statement. "These data will transform our understanding of the Sun's magnetic field, the solar wind, and solar activity."
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
June's Strawberry Moon rises tonight. Here's what to expect from the lowest full moon since 2006
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Look up — or rather, down — tonight to spot the lowest full moon in nearly two decades. This month's full moon will ride low on the southern horizon thanks to an orbital phenomenon known as a major lunar standstill. Called the "Strawberry Moon," June's full moon was named by the Algonquian, after the short fruit harvesting season that coincides with its appearance each year. The full moon phase technically occurs at 3:44 a.m. EDT (0744 GMT) on June 11 for viewers in New York, though its disk will appear completely lit when it rises above the southeastern horizon at sunset on June 10. The lunar disk always appears larger at moonrise thanks to the "moon illusion," a trick of the brain that makes Earth's natural satellite appear larger than it actually is when it's close to the horizon. The moon will also likely take on a yellow-orange hue, because our planet's atmosphere scatters the shorter, blue wavelengths of the sun's reflected light. Read on to learn more about the moon's orbit and how the major lunar standstill will affect the path of the Strawberry Moon through the night sky. The sun appears to travel through Earth's sky along an imaginary line called the ecliptic, which is tilted 23.5 degrees relative to our planet's celestial equator (the plane of Earth's equator projected into space). The moon's orbital path is also tilted at around 5 degrees to the ecliptic, which is why we don't see an eclipse every time the moon passes close to the sun during its monthly new moon phase. Our sun's gravitational influence is constantly tugging on the moon, causing its tilted orbit to swivel in an 18.6-year cycle, according to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. We are in the midst of a major lunar standstill — the two-year period of the lunar cycle when the moon's tilted orbit is at its greatest inclination relative to the celestial equator. During this period, the moon rises and sets at more extreme positions on the horizon while riding very high or low in the sky, depending on the time of year. June's full Strawberry Moon falls close to the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice, when the sun tracks its highest path above our heads and the lunar disk trudges a correspondingly low track through the night sky. RELATED STORIES: — Full moon calendar 2025: When to see the next full moon — 'Major lunar standstill' may reveal if Stonehenge is aligned with the moon — Don't miss these 15 spectacular moon events in 2025 This year, the Strawberry Moon's seasonally low altitude will be made more extreme by the "great lunar standstill," resulting in the lowest full moon in over a decade, according to Indeed, the last time a major lunar standstill occurred was in 2006, and a similar event won't happen again until 2043. Editor's note: If you capture a picture of the full moon and want to share your astrophotography with passionate readers, please send the image(s), along with your name, comments and shooting location, to spacephotos@
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Watch June's full Strawberry Moon skim the southern horizon with these free livestreams tonight
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. This month's full Strawberry Moon is upon us! Here's how you can watch the lowest full moon in a decade grace the sky on June 11 from the comfort of your couch. June's full moon rides surprisingly low across the southern sky thanks to a rare phenomenon known as a major lunar standstill, which occurs when the sun's gravitational influence drags the moon's tilted orbit into its greatest inclination relative to our planet's celestial equator. During this time, the moon's orbit is at its most extreme, causing it to ride unusually low — or high — across the sky depending on the time of year, while rising and setting at its most southerly and northerly points on the horizon. Despite being the brightest object in the night sky, Earth's moon can be a surprisingly tricky target to spot for skywatchers in metropolitan areas, where high-rise buildings can dramatically reduce your field of view. It'll be even tougher to spot the full moon on June 11, when the low-riding lunar disk climbs to a maximum altitude of 20 degrees above the horizon for viewers in New York City. Thankfully, there's no need to panic if you can't find a spot with a clear view of the southern horizon, or if clouds turn up to entirely obscure your view of the sky above. Here's how to watch the Strawberry Moon rise online via livestream on June 11, without ever leaving your house. The Virtual Telescope Project (VTP) will hold its own live stream starting at 3:30 p.m. ET (1930 GMT) on June 11, featuring views from the organization's robotic telescopes situated in Tuscany, Italy. The VTP was founded in 2006 by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi with the goal of "bringing the universe down to Earth", according to the organization's website. It regularly hosts livestreams of major astronomical events including planetary conjunctions and meteor showers, while providing real-time views of potentially hazardous asteroids as they make a close approach to our planet. The famous Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles will also host a live stream of the Strawberry Moon rising from its most southerly position on the eastern horizon in 18 years. The observatory will go live on YouTube starting at 11:42 p.m. ET on June 11 (0342 GMT on June 12). Both live streams are completely free and require nothing but a smart device/computer and an active internet connection to watch! Editor's Note: If you capture a picture of the Strawberry Moon and want to share it with readers, then please send it along with your comments, name and shooting time/location to spacephotos@
