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Night sky observers are being treated this week to a view of a red-tinted full moon \u2014 known in June as a \u201cstrawberry moon\u201d \u2014 a phenomenon that occurs when the moon sits low on the Southern Horizon.<\/p>\n
This summer, the reddish color is particularly pronounced because the moon is sitting at the lowest position it will reach for about 19 years.<\/p>\n
The strawberry moon\u2019s colorful hues were visible Tuesday night, and it reached its brightest point Wednesday around 4 a.m. Eastern time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Here\u2019s what it looked like:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
According to folklore, the name \u201cstrawberry moon\u201d came from Algonquin Native American tribes to commemorate strawberry gathering season. Another name for the full moon in June is \u201crose moon,\u201d which may have come from Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the traditional names we use seem to come from Native American usage, but some are clearly European in origin, like the one in December, called \u2018the moon before yule,\u2019 a reference to Christmas,\u201d said James Lattis, a historian of astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.<\/p>\n
Summer full moons are always low relative to winter full moons in the Northern Hemisphere, and therefore are more reddish in color, Dr. Lattis said. That\u2019s because viewing the moon through the atmosphere gives it a reddish hue, much like the colors visible during a sunrise or sunset, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cIf one looks straight up into the sky, there\u2019s less atmosphere,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking through the horizon, you\u2019re looking through the most atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Dr. Lattis said that he had viewed the moon on Tuesday night in Wisconsin, and that it was notable for the pinkish hue it had from smoke in the air from wildfires. He said the sight may not be as dramatic elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate to discourage anybody from going out and looking at the moon \u2014 it\u2019s a wonderful thing to do, and a lot of times, if you don\u2019t give somebody a reason, they\u2019ll never do it,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s just another full moon.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n