A Strawberry Moon Tonight For Howell, But Will We See it?

By Sherri London:

If the skies clear up some, a full moon Tuesday could light up the night for Howell Township residents.

Known as the “Strawberry Moon,” courtesy of the Algonquin Native American tribes, the moon technically reaches its “full” peak around 12:19 p.m. EST. While that means residents may not be able to spot it at its precise peak of fullness, it’s still expected to create quite a spectacle when night falls, EarthSky.org notes.

June’s full moon earned its name because its position in the sky served as a signal to Native Americans that it was time to gather ripening fruit, Almanac.com reported. In Europe, where strawberries are not native fruits, it’s called the “rose moon.”

Native Americans named each full moon according to important information they kept track of based on changes in the night sky. February’s moon, for example, is known as the full snow moon because that’s when the heaviest snows traditionally fall. September’s full moon is known as the corn moon because it signals the beginning of the harvest season. For a complete list of full moon names, visit Almanac.com online.

As for Tuesday’s Strawberry Moon, you may have to peek through storm clouds to see it. The National Weather Service is calling for cloudy skies and possible showers this evening.

Patch file photo