The Strawberry Moon reaches full phase tonight at 7:57 p.m. EDT, giving skywatchers a specific moment to watch June's full moon climb into the evening sky. It rises on June 29 and will be bright and round for a night or two on either side of that peak.
The timing matters because June's full moon is the lowest-hanging full moon of the year, arriving close to the summer solstice. For anyone looking for the moon tonight, the best view comes shortly after sunset, facing east as it rises among the stars of Sagittarius.
That is also why the scene can be more dramatic than the label suggests. The Strawberry Moon will not appear pink. Instead, it may look golden or orange when it is low on the horizon, as moonlight passes through a thicker layer of Earth's atmosphere and shorter wavelengths are scattered away. Near the horizon, it can also seem unusually large because of the moon illusion, a trick of perception that makes the moon look bigger beside distant landscape features.
The name itself comes from the short strawberry harvesting season traditionally observed by Native American tribes, and June's full moon is also known as the Rose Moon, Hot Moon and Mead Moon. However familiar the name sounds, the event tonight is simple: the moon reaches full phase at 7:57 p.m. EDT, and the view changes most for observers who catch it low, early and in the east.
That makes the next night or two the useful window for casual skywatchers, not just the exact minute of full phase. The moon will still look full before and after the moment itself, but the strongest colors and the biggest-looking disk come when it is closest to the horizon. Anyone searching for Moon Tonight is really looking for that short interval after sunset, when the moon begins its climb and the summer sky gives it the stage.
