Strawberry Moon 2019: Will the June Full Moon turn bright RED tonight?

A STRAWBERRY MOON tonight promises to stun astronomy enthusiasts around the globe – but does this mean the June Full Moon is about to turn red?

The Strawberry Moon is the sixth of this year’s 12 named Full Moon phases. The Strawberry Moon will make its appearance just one month after the so-called Flower Moon peaked in May. And then on July 16, the Buck Moon will light up the night skies as the seventh Full Moon of the year. But for now, here is everything you need to know about tomorrow's June Strawberry Moon.

When is the Strawberry Moon? What time is the June Full Moon?

The Strawberry Moon will illuminate the night today (Monday, June 17).
The Full Moon will peak everywhere in the nightside of Earth at the same time

However, the Moon might not be visible from your location until after moonrise in the evening.
In the UK, for instance, the Full Moon will peak in brightness around 9.30am BST when the glowing orb is below the horizon.

This means you will have to wait until the evening to see the Moon slowly sail across the sky.
But the good news is the Moon always appears full for three days surrounding the Full Moon phase.
This means on Tuesday night the Moon will still appear exceptionally large and bright.
However, with this in mind, does this mean the June Strawberry Moon is about to turn a delicious red colour?

Will the Strawberry Moon turn bright red on Monday?

Unfortunately, the Moon will not change hue today but will instead continue to radiate its cold white glow.
Much like the so-called Pink Moon in April, the unusual name is just a moniker meant to represent the seasonal variations in the landscape.
In this case, the Strawberry Moon is named after will strawberries, which are ripening around this time of year in North America.
The naming tradition originates in the US and was adopted by colonial Europeans from Native American tribes.

Algonquin tribes, in particular, were known for keeping track of time by naming the various phases of the Moon.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich explained: "In North America, the harvesting of strawberries in June gives that month's full moon its name.
"Europeans have dubbed it the rose moon, while other cultures named it the hot moon for the beginning of the summer heat."
So, the April Pink Moon is named after a type of pink flower, which blooms around the start of spring.
And the Beaver Moon in November signals the start of beaver hunting season, just in time to collect their warm pelts before the cold winter settles in.

Amy Nieskens of the Old Farmer’s Almanac explained: “June’s Moon is known as the Full Strawberry Moon.
“Algonquin tribes knew this Moon as the time to gather ripening strawberries.
“In places where strawberries aren’t native, this Moon was also known as the Rose Moon and the Hot Moon.”
The Strawberry Moon is also sometimes known as the Full Honey Moon.
There are, however, times when the Moon does appear to take on an ominous red glow.

During a total lunar eclipse, when the Moon hides in the Earth’s shadow, the Moon can turn a red-orange colour.
The so-called Blood Moon eclipse is the result of scattered sunlight bending around the Earth’s dusty atmosphere and falling on the Moon.
The effect, known as Rayleigh scattering, changes the Moon’s colour for the duration of eclipse totality.
And on a particularly hazy night, when the air is full of dust or when the Moon is low on the horizon, the lunar orb can appear tinged yellow or orange.

When will the next Full Moon rise and what is its name?

The next Full Moon to light up the night falls on the night of July 16.
The so-called Buck Moon is the seventh Full Moo of the year and is named after sprouting antlers on wild bucks or deer.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, this Moon is also sometimes known as the Thunder Moon because of frequent thunderstorms in July.
The Full Moon will make an appearance just four days before the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 11 Moon landing.