INDIANA – The full Strawberry Moon rises on Saturday, June 3, 2023.
Just after sunset, look towards the southeast to watch the full Moon rise gently above the horizon. There, it will appear large and golden-hued not pink after its namesake.
June’s full Moon will reach peak illumination at 11:41 p.m. Central Standard Time.
The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Historically, names for the full or new Moons were used to track the seasons. Today, we think of Moon names as “nicknames” for the Moon.
While strawberries certainly are a reddish-pink color and are roundish in shape, the origin of the name “Strawberry Moon” has nothing to do with the Moon’s hue or appearance. A Moon usually appears reddish when it’s close to the horizon because the light rays must pass through the densest layers of the atmosphere.
This “Strawberry Moon” name has been used by Native American Algonquian tribes that live in the northeastern United States as well as the Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples to mark the ripening of “June-bearing” strawberries that are ready to be gathered. The Haida term Berries Ripen Moon reflects this as well. As flowers bloom and early fruit ripens, June is a time of great abundance for many.
