Community Corner
Full Strawberry Moon Ushers In Summer: When To See It In Santa Monica
As the sun reaches its highest point during the summer solstice, that's set to make the full moon look bigger and lower than usual.
SANTA MONICA, CA — Summer nights are made for skygazing, and June’s full strawberry moon offers a chance to celebrate the season in style, weather permitting, in Santa Monica.
That’s because the moon turns full on Friday, June 21, a day after the summer solstice. It doesn’t happen often that the solstice falls within a day of the full moon — only about once every 19 to 20 years, according to Space.com.
That’s significant. Because the sun reaches its highest point in the sky with the solstice, the moon will appear lower in the sky and look bigger, The Old Farmer’s Almanac reports.
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For a gorgeous view of the moon as it rises, look toward the southeast sky just after sunset. It will appear large and golden-hued as it peeks over the horizon.
The marine layer is expected to return to the region Tuesday night, but is set to thin over the coming days. By Friday, it's possible low clouds could be confined to the coast, according to the National Weather Service — which would make viewing the moon from Santa Monica a challenge. For the best chance at a great view, head inland.
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The moon will rise at around 8:27 p.m. Friday — about 20 minutes after sunset. The moon will look full for a couple of days after.
Although the full strawberry moon will look exceptionally large during moonrise, it’s not a supermoon — a full moon that appears larger than a typical full moon because it is closer to Earth in its elliptical orbit. For that, you’ll have to wait until August, and then you’ll have four chances in a row to see the phenomenon.
The June full moon is called the strawberry moon because it occurs during the relatively short season for harvesting the sweet, succulent berries. It’s also sometimes called the honey or mead moon, the rose or flower moon, the hot moon, the hoe moon, the planting moon and others, depending on what activity was important to those who bestowed the moniker.
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