Don’t miss the first ‘Strawberry Supermoon’ of 2022

The first ‘Strawberry Supermoon’ of 2022 can be observed this Tuesday, June 14.

For lovers of the nighttime sky, the next big date for your diary is tonight, Tuesday, June 14, when the ‘Strawberry Supermoon’ can be observed. This is one of three occasions that this lunar phenomenon will occur in 2022.

The strawberry moon was given its name by Native American cultures, who nicknamed it the ‘Full Strawberry Moon’, and this year is extra special as it will also be designated as a supermoon to add to its lunar appeal.

June’s full moon, normally seen as the final full moon of spring, or the first of summer, will take place at 7:52am ET, (11:52 am UTC) today, since that is the moment in which the full moon occurs astrologically. Of course, it will not be possible to see it in all its splendour until night falls. 

As defined by NASA, this event is nothing more than a full moon, but it has its peculiarities, one of which is that it shines much brighter than normal. “The pink colour is due to the eclipse of the Moon, in a full eclipse it will appear dull to reddish-brown”, they explained.

“Although the Earth is blocking the direct light of the Sun from reaching the Moon, the Earth’s atmosphere scatters and refracts some light towards the Moon. The brightness we can see is produced by sunrises and sunsets on Earth, which shine on the Moon at the same time”, NASA indicated.

An attraction toward lunar events has the name of ‘selenophilia’. This name is derived from the Greek words ‘selene’, meaning ‘Moon’, and ‘philia’, which means ‘love’. It literally translates as somebody with attraction and admiration towards the Moon.