A full strawberry moon lights up the Weyburn sky

The full moon of June, which is the last full moon of spring or the first of summer, is traditionally called the strawberry moon. This full moon brings with it a penumbral eclipse, which occurs when the moon crosses the weak outer edge of the Earth’s shadow (the penumbra), causing part of the moon to appear slightly darker than usual. Unlike a complete lunar or solar eclipse, the visual effect of a penumbral eclipse is usually so small that it can be difficult to see.

This eclipse was only visible in parts of Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and South America, but not from North America.

The tradition of naming the moons is rich in history. According to Old Farmer’s Almanac, the name Strawberry Moon is from Algonquin tribes in eastern North America who knew it as a signal to pick ripe wild strawberries.

Other names for this moon include the honeymoon and the mead moon. It was also called Rose Moon because many roses start to bloom in June.

Historically, the names of the full moon have been used to follow the seasons and, for this reason, are often closely related to nature. The moon names used today come from Native American and colonial sources. Traditionally, each full moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, rather than to the full moon itself.