Strawberry Moon: What Is It, How To See It In Washington

ACROSS WASHINGTON — On Thursday, Washington stargazers will be rewarded with a sweet treat, the annual appearance of the Strawberry Moon.

When the sun dips below the horizon, a supermoon will rise in its place. The golden-hued ball will cast its evening glow across Washington for the entire evening, the Old Farmer's Almanac said.

The full moon will actually hit peak illumination at 2:40 p.m. but won't be visible in the U.S. at that time, the Old Farmer's Almanac said. Don't worry though, there will still be plenty of moongazing hours for Washington residents.

The full moon will rise in Washington at approximately 9:46 p.m. and will set at 4:50 a.m. on Friday morning, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Luckily, forecasts predict Thursday will be a mostly sunny day and only a partly cloudy night.

The Strawberry Moon is 2021's last supermoon, according to NASA. When the moon comes closest to Earth, it is called a supermoon because it looks bigger and brighter than usual.

"For 2021, some publications consider the four full moons from March to June, some the three full Moons from April to June, and some only the two full moons in April and May as supermoons," NASA said.

Why is Thursday's moon called the Strawberry Moon? The answer is simple: strawberries and flowers tend to ripen in late spring or early summer, making June's final full moon the perfect symbol of blossoming crops.

"The full moon names used by The Old Farmer's Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not solely to the full moon," the publication said.

If you're not a fan of the strawberry nickname, June's full moon has also been called the Blooming Moon, Green Corn Moon or Hoer Moon, each nom de plume representing the flowering season.

Patch editor Chris Mosby contributed to this article.