Why are people calling tonight's full moon a 'strawberry moon'?

Australia Broadcast Center

a day ago

If you've been seeing a lot of chatter about tonight's full moon being a "strawberry moon" on your social media feed, you'd be forgiven for expecting a lunar eclipse tonight.
But that's not the case.
Here's what you can expect from the full moon tonight.
Tonight's full moon is appealing to people for different reasons.
It's a big deal in the UK, for example, because of a phenomenon called a "major lunar standstill".
That means the moon will be the lowest in the UK skies it's been in more than 18 years.
But there's a lot of hype about the moon because people are calling it "the strawberry moon".
And with a name that sounds as visually appealing as "strawberry moon", it has been getting a lot of traction in some social media circles.
We're not expecting it to be.
The moon appears to glow red during a lunar eclipse, with many people calling the phenomenon a blood moon.
But the next total lunar eclipse visible in Australia isn't until September.
Local atmospheric conditions like bushfire smoke, dust and haze can also make the moon appear reddish.
So the moon might look reddish if there's haze in your area this evening, but it wouldn't be something all of Australia would be seeing.
It's also known as "lunistice" — think "solstice", but with the moon instead of the sun.
"It's when the Moon reaches the extremes of its northernmost and southernmost rising and setting points on the horizon," Matt Woods from the Perth Observatory said.
"These standstills happen because the Moon's orbit is tilted at a 5 degrees inclination relative to the Earth's equator and slowly shifts over time."
These shifts happen over a cycle that lasts 18.6 years.
"During a major lunar standstill, the Moon appears to travel much further across the sky over a month than usual, rising and setting at more extreme points and reaching higher or lower altitudes in the sky," Mr Woods says.
"It's not something that happens in just one night — it happens over weeks or months."
In the UK, the full moon's track throughout the night will be at its lowest point in the sky.
But it'll be the opposite for us here in Australia.
"This is the time it will be as high as it will ever get in the sky," University of Southern Queensland astrophysics professor Jonti Horner said.
So, if you were to go out and look up at the moon at midnight, it should be directly over you, rather than closer to the horizon.
"It will pass directly overhead," Professor Horner says.
In terms of the moonrise and moonset locations, it's not all that noticeable unless you're comparing it to previous years.
"You won't notice a big shift in just one night — and there's no sudden visual event like an eclipse — but astronomers are already tracking the gradual changes in the Moon's rising and setting positions," Mr Woods said.
Ancient cultures were very in tune with these events because they used the moon to track the passage of time.
And without big city buildings obstructing the horizon or smartphones sucking their attention, they would have been acutely aware of where on the horizon the moon rose and set each night.
But a smartphone can help you understand the significance of the phenomenon.
Professor Horner says you can download a stargazing app to show you where the moon is expected to rise in the future — which will help you understand what's happening tonight.
He recommends facing the horizon when the moon rises this evening and then using the app to show you where the full moon will rise in June next year, the year after, and so on until 2033.
And as for the night owls?
Stay awake until about midnight because that's when the moon will be at its highest.
"Look at the length of the shadows … you'll barely have a shadow," Professor Horner said.
He recommended taking a photo of the moon in the sky with visible landmarks in the horizon.
Take note of the exact spot you stood in and return mid-way through the cycle — about a decade from now — and retake that photo.
"If you go out at midnight in Brisbane, the moon will be directly overhead," Professor Horner said.
"If you go out in 9.3 years in June, instead of being overhead, it'll be 36 degrees lower in the sky."
Because it only happens every 18.6 years.
"The major lunar standstill would have been a generational event, spoken about in the stories that passed orally from one generation to the next," the English Heritage's Stone Henge website says.
"The phenomenon may have marked huge celebrations of religious, spiritual and social significance, and perhaps also mark the time for the rites of initiation of young members of the community into adulthood."
It's another name for the full moon in June.
It's not unlike the other names you might have for full moons at different times of the year, like the sturgeon moon or the hunter's moon.
Different cultural groups in different parts of the world may have their own names for full moons at certain times of the year, but many people go with the names used by a US publication called The Old Farmer's Almanac.
The annual magazine has been in print since 1792 and is something of a cultural institution in the US.
"The moon names we use in The Old Farmer's Almanac come from Native American, colonial American, or other traditional North American sources passed down through generations," the publication's website says.
However, Professor Horner is skeptical of the publication, saying it has "butchered" traditional beliefs and raised concerns about cultural appropriation.
It has nothing to do with the colour of the moon.
"The name comes from North American Indigenous peoples, marking the time of the strawberry harvest," Mr Woods said.
But the Southern Hemisphere is experiencing wintry conditions right now, so the term might not feel right for all of us here in Australia.
Strawberry season typically doesn't start for a few more months for growers in places like Victoria, South Australia and parts of southern Queensland, according to Berries Australia.
However, strawberry season does kick off in June for growers in Perth, Bundaberg and Sunshine Coast regions.