June’s full ‘Strawberry Moon’ will be at its fullest on Wednesday, June 11, but the best time to see it will be at dusk on Tuesday, June 10.
Stargazers, get ready for some low-hanging fruit: The full Strawberry Moon is about to rise!
In addition to being the final full moon of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, June’s Strawberry Moon will be the lowest full moon of the year as seen from north of the equator, as well as one of the farthest from the sun.
The moon will become full at 3:45 a.m. EDT Wednesday (June 11), but because that’s so early in the day, the best time to see it will be Tuesday (June 10) evening, when it rises during dusk. As you watch the moon appear, look to its upper right to spot Antares, a bright star 550 light-years away, in the constellation Scorpius.
June’s full moon is always one of the lowest-hanging of the year, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. That’s because a full moon is, by definition, opposite the sun, so it mirrors our star’s position in the sky. Because the summer solstice occurs on the night of June 20 (or June 21 GMT), when the sun is as high in the sky as it can get, the closest full moon is the lowest of the year. That means it will rise during dusk in the southeastern sky; drift across the southern sky, never getting too far above the southern horizon; and set in the southwest at dawn.
