Tonight’s Full Moon is the sixth Full Moon of the year and it makes an appearance a month after May’s beautiful Flower Moon. In some cultures, the June Moon is known as the Strawberry Moon because of wild fruit ripening around this time of the year. And in some European traditions, the Moon is sometimes known as the Honey Moon or Hot Moon to coincide with the start of summer. After the Strawberry Moon passes tonight, it will reemerge on the night of July 16 as the wonderful Buck Moon.
What time is the Strawberry Moon tonight?
The Full Moon peaked earlier today around 9.30am BST (8.30am BST), here in the UK, before the Moon rose over the horizon.
This means the Moon’s moment of full-on illumination by the Sun was not seen and took place in the nightside of Earth.
Astronomy enthusiasts in the US had a chance to catch a glimpse of the event on both the East and West Coast.
But the good news is once the Moon slowly creeps over the horizon later tonight, it will still be exceptionally bright and beautiful.
READ MORE: Will the Strawberry Moon turn bright RED tonight?
Here in the UK, moonrise is scheduled to happen around 9.30pm BST (8.30pm UTC) in the southeast skies.
The Full Moon will gradually rise in the southeast until it sets in the southwest on Tuesday morning around 5.39am BST (4.39am UTC).
And if you miss the Full Moon tonight, do not worry, because Full Moons always appear full for about three days around the peak.
So, stay on the lookout for the Moon tonight once the Sun sets below the horizon.
READ MORE: When is the next TOTAL eclipse of the Sun?
Where can you see the Full Moon tonight?
The Full Moon will be visible everywhere tonight in the nightside of the Earth.
In the UK, the Strawberry Moon will make an appearance tonight from around 9.30am BST.
In Berlin, Germany, the Moon will rise slightly later around 9.39pm CET.
Further east, in Moscow, the Full Moon will rise over the horizon around 9.17pm (MST).
READ MORE: What is the meaning behind the June Full Moon
What do we get a Full Moon once a month?
Throughout the month, the Moon goes through a so-called lunar cycle from one New Moon phase to another.
According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the lunar cycle produces eight distinct pages of the Moon, which include the Full Moon and New Moon.
The Observatory said: “In between these, the phase of the Moon goes through multiple stages of partial illumination.
“These are the banana-shaped crescent Moon, the D-shaped quarter Moon and the almost complete gibbous Moon.
“Finally each phase is also named after its position in the full 29.5 day cycle based on whether it is growing – waxing – or shrinking – waning.”