What is the 2021 strawberry moon and when can you see it?

Following supermoons in March, April and May, the fourth and final supermoon of 2021, known as the strawberry supermoon, will be visible this Thursday across the world.

The strawberry moon will rise in the eastern sky this Thursday evening around the same time the sun is setting in the west. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, the result is the lunar body’s distinctive color. However, the strawberry moon will not be red, as the name suggests, and instead will likely have a golden color, according to astronomers.

When can I see the strawberry supermoon?

June’s strawberry supermoon will reach peak luminance at 2.40 EDT this Thursday, 24 June, but will not be visible until later in the evening when it emerges above the horizon.

Where did it get the name "strawberry moon"?

The June Strawberry moon got its name from the Native American Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota tribes, as it marked the time of year when they began gathering “June-ripened” strawberries.

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Alternative names used by Native American tribes include Blooming Moon (Anishinaabe) which is in reference to the flowering season, while Green Corn Moon (Cherokee) and Hoer Moon (Western Abenaki) indicate that it was time to tend young crops.

What is a supermoon?

According to NASA: "Different publications use slightly different thresholds for deciding when a full moon is close enough to the Earth to qualify as a supermoon.Because the orbit of the moon is not a perfect circle, the moon is sometimes closer to the Earth than at other times during its orbit."

On average, supermoons appear about 7% bigger and about 15% brighter than a typical full moon.