This year is a busy year for astronomy enthusiasts and sky gazers as it is lined up with a number of spectacular and unusual cosmic events.

Right after the world saw a Supermoon, Blood Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse followed by a Solar Eclipse and the Summer Solstice, another celestial extravaganza, Full Moon, appeared in the night sky on Thursday, 24th June. The June Full Moon was observed for about three days, starting from early Wednesday morning through Saturday morning.

The month of June has indeed been an exhibition of rare planetary convergences and also marked this year's final Super Moon, as the Full Strawberry Moon illuminated the night sky. This Strawberry Moon was the last full moon of the spring season. It appeared as a faded orange orb which kept turning to yellow as it moved above the horizon. After a while, it appeared glorious and glowed so brightly that it was almost not possible to look directly.

Source: Science Times

One Moon, Different Names

What makes the Full Moon even more special as a celestial spectacle is its different and interesting names. There are many seasonal and ancient names used for describing the June Full Moon. Some of these interesting names are:

• Strawberry Moon: The Almanac started naming the full moons of the year in the 1930s. The native American tribes called it Strawberry Moon as strawberries were harvested during that season in North America.
• Poson Poya: Buddhists named this moon as Poson based on their Poson holiday that has been celebrated since 236 BCE. Poson Poya is a festival of great significance among Vesak as it marked the beginning of Buddhism to Srilanka in the late 3rd century B.C. by the Buddhist missionary monk Mahinda.
• Vat Purnima: For the Hindu community, this Moon conforms to Vat Purnima, based on the tale of Satyavan and Savitri. It is the widespread belief of Hindus that the Moon is a worshipping deity.
• Rose Moon: Another European tribe called the Full Moon as Rose moon which is based on how the roses bloom during this time of the year. Other writings indicate that the name is derived from the colour of the moon.
• Honeymoon or Mead Moon: The ancient Europeans named the Full Moon as the Honeymoon or Mead Moon. The name was adopted based on ancient writings suggesting the end of June was a season when honey was harvested, making it the sweetest Moon of the year.

There are many other names like Flower Moon, Hot Moon, Hoe Moon, and Planting Moon, given to the Full Moon by different communities across the world.

Folklore Surrounding the June Moon

• During a June moon, a growing moon and a flowing tide are considered fortuitous times to get married by people from ancient civilizations.
• An ancient Babylonian manuscript prescribes that women are more fertile during a full moon. However, there is no scientific data to prove the same.
• When the Moon reaches its full shape, activities like crabbing, shrimping, and claiming are considered best. Due to the good tide flow, crabs move around further to find food.

Moon Phases

Source: NASA

It takes the Moon about 29.5 days to complete a revolution around the Earth during which time it reaches its full phase. On a rare occasion, the coincidence of the Summer Solstice and the Strawberry Moon occurs once in 20 years.

The next full moon, Buck Moon, will appear on July 24th, followed by Sturgeon Moon and Harvest Moon. Watch this space and follow our Cosmic Saga series for more on these!

Wrapping Up

Do facts and theories about the Moon fascinate you? How about understanding the Moon as closely as you can? With the Practically learning app, you can experience the Moon, Earth, and the Solar System through lifelike 3D videos, AR experiences, and simulations. Head to the Practically app and try experiential learning.

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