Last supermoon of 2021: ‘Strawberry Moon’ to shine bright Thursday
An airplane flies past June’s full moon known as the Strawberry Moon on June 27, 2018, in Montebello, California. The Strawberry Moon gets its name from Native Americans on the continent’s East Coast for it signaled the time when strawberries were ripe and ready to be picked. (Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
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(NEXSTAR) — The Strawberry Moon, the first full moon of astronomical summer and the last supermoon of the year, will peak Thursday, giving skygazers a show.
While the moon will be officially full Thursday, it will look full Friday just as it did Wednesday.
June’s full moon, the fourth and final supermoon of the year, is known as the Strawberry Moon because of the strawberries that are ready to be picked at this time of year. It is also sometimes called the Blooming Moon, Berries Ripen Moon or Green Corn Moon.
The moon will appear slightly larger than average because it will reach perigee, or the closest point to Earth in its current orbit, making it a supermoon.
How to see it
The full moon will reach its peak at 2:40 p.m. ET on Thursday, but won’t be visible until it rises above the horizon later in the evening, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The full moon will rise in the east shortly after sunset and will set in the west around sunrise. This is the first of four full moons in astronomical summer. Check the Almanac’s Moonrise and Moonset Calculator for times when you can see it in your area.
Once the full moon has passed, the waning moon will pass by Jupiter and Saturn. Look to the south before sunrise to see the trio. Jupiter is the brightest of the two planets, and it will be left of Saturn. The moon will be below Saturn on June 27 and below Jupiter on June 28.
