Strawberry Moon 2020: Best Times To Watch
(CNN) -- It's time for another noteworthy celestial event. Be sure to cast your gaze toward the sky for this year's Strawberry Moon.
So you're not disappointed or confused, first things first: The moon isn't going to actually look like a big, round strawberry.
That's because in North America, the name comes from Algonquin tribes of Native Americans. This full moon was their sign to harvest wild strawberries, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.
In Europe, you may hear it called the Honey Moon or Mead Moon. In fact, the tradition of calling the first month of marriage the honeymoon may be tied to this full moon, either because of the custom of marrying in June or because the Honey Moon is considered the "sweetest" moon of the year, NASA says.
How so? The time around the end of June was when honey was ripe and ready to be harvested from hives or from the wild, some writings have suggested, according to NASA. The word "honeymoon" traces back to at least the 1500s in Europe.
What's the best time to see it?
The peak of the full moon happens depending on your time zone.
In the Eastern Time Zone of the United States, the next full moon will be on Friday afternoon, June 5, at 3:12 p.m, although it won't be visible until dusk. In the United Kingdom, it will appear at 8:12 p.m.
See the upper right side of the timeanddate.com page to get the time for your location.
But remember, peak time doesn't mean your only viewing time. The moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from early Thursday morning into early Sunday morning, said NASA.
On June 5, the moon will also pass through part of the shadow of the Earth, causing a partial penumbral eclipse. It won't be visible in North America, but people in Europe and Africa and eastward to Asia and Australia may see a very subtle darkening of the moon's color.
What's next?
For those who like to follow earthly and celestial events, we've got the summer solstice coming up in a couple of weeks — on Friday, June 20.
And the next full moon after the Strawberry is the Full Buck Moon on Sunday, July 5.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
