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A June full moon will begin Friday night June 5, a penumbral lunar eclipse named the “Strawberry Moon”, which happens to be the last full moon of the spring. The name comes from the usually short season of harvesting strawberry in the United States.
In the Eastern Time Zone in the United States, the full moon will be on Friday afternoon, June 5, at 3:12 p.m. according to NASA, however, it won’t be visible until dusk.
The Strawberry Moon will be close enough to opposite the sun that it will pass through part of the partial shadow of the Earth, causing an eclipse. During the eclipse, the moon will not be in the sky for most of the Americas, says NASA. The moon will appear for about three days, from Thursday morning into early Sunday morning.
When to watch
Also, on June 5, the full eclipse moon will be entirely visible for most parts of Europe and Africa, as the moon will pass through part of the shadow of Earth. It will begin at 1:45 p.m ET and lasts until 5:04 p.m., for about three hours.
The strawberry Moon has been named the Honey Moon, as it relates to end to June harvesting ripe and ready. The tradition comes from calling the first month of marriage the “honeymoon”, the sweetest time of the year.
Upcoming celestial events
If you happen to miss this moon sighting you’re in luck for another one in a few weeks. The summer solstice will begin Friday, June 20. This time the moon will pass in front of the sun from Earth slight, creating a “ring of fire”.
There will also be another penumbral lunar eclipse, or Strawberry Moon on July 5, although it won’t be viewable in North and South America.
