Super Strawberry Moon introduces itself: where does the name come from?

If you look outside the coming night, you can see a special phenomenon: a super strawberry moon. What is that? And how did this moon get its name?

What is a Super Strawberry Moon?

Every month there is a full moon, including June. You can see it on the night of June 14-15, 2022. A full moon in June is also known as a strawberry moon. It has nothing to do with color, as the moon is suddenly not much redder than normal. This moon is called the Strawberry Moon because strawberry season begins on the 6th month of the year.

super moon

So a full moon in June is still a strawberry moon, but where does the addition “super” come from? This refers to the fact that the June Full Moon is also a Super Moon. The moon is closer then than at other times, making it appear much larger and brighter. If so, it’s called a supermoon.

In practice, the moon is neither bigger nor brighter; it’s an optical illusion. After all, the size of the moon does not change, but its position relative to the earth does. Because the moon orbits the Earth in an ellipse, it is sometimes much closer. As you can see in the image on the right, an ellipse is not perfectly round.

On the night of June 14 to 15, the moon is as close as possible. “Close” is about 357,000 kilometers. It’s approximately up to 9 times up and down from Utrecht to Christchurch in New Zealand. Still quite far, then.

Read also : Monday, Tuesday…that’s how the days of the week got their name

When visible?

Supermoons never come alone. 1 is also scheduled for July 2022, as the moon will still be close to Earth. Would you like to see the June one? As mentioned, you will be able to see it on the night of June 14-15, 2022. The KNMI made an annual report on which you can see exactly what time the moon rises and sets. If you stick to these times, you have a good chance of seeing the Strawberry Super Moon.

(Source: Weeronline, archives, sunset.info, KNMI)