ASSOCIATED PRESS Did you see the biggest full moon of the year rising this week? Looking east at dusk on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, was what you had to do to see the “Strawberry Moon” —the last full moon of spring and also the largest, brightest and best “moon” of the year. ” See what it looked like from all over the world: Although commonly referred to as the “Strawberry Moon” because the soft fruit is in its season in the northern hemisphere, the June full moon is also called the “Hot Moon”, “Mid Moon” and “Pink Moon”. The full moon known as “Strawberry Moon” rises above the temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio in … [+] Athens, Greece on June 14, 2022. (Photo by Ayhan Mehmet / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) The Anadolu agency through Getty Images A “supermoon” is said to occur when our Moon moves closer to the Earth in its elliptical orbit while it is in its “full” phase. So it looks slightly bigger and brighter than usual. The full moon strawberry rises behind the medieval tower of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in Italy in June … [+] 13, 2022. The June Moon is the first supermoon of 2022, the next will be in July. (Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola / NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images The May full moon will be the largest and best “full moon” of 2021, but the next full moon — April 26, 2021 — may still be called the “supermoon” because it occurs within 90% of its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. It will look about 6% larger than the “middle” full moon and up to 30% brighter. The full moon, otherwise known as the strawberry supermoon, appears on the CBD horizon in … [+] Sydney, Australia, June 15, 2022. (Photo by Steven Saphore / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) The Anadolu agency through Getty Images There is no hard and fast definition of what a “supermoon” is, with some calculations meaning that there are four in 2022 and others only two. Either way, there are definitely two supermoons in 2022 — June and July — with this week’s “Strawberry Moon” being the closest to Earth, so the largest in the sky. Roof decorations on the corner tower in the Forbidden City depicting sacred beasts are sketched … [+] against a supermoon, Tuesday 14 June 2022, in Beijing. The moon reaches the full moon on Tuesday, during a phenomenon known as the supermoon due to its proximity to Earth, and is also referred to as the “Strawberry Moon” because it is the full moon at the time of strawberry harvest. (AP Photo / Ng Han Guan) ASSOCIATED PRESS Not that the Full Moon looks much bigger just because it is a full moon. The difference is very small, with a supermoon appearing only about 14% larger than the smallest (most distant) full moon of the year. The “Strawberry moon” appears next to the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 14, 2022. (Photo … [+] by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images The apparent diameter of the Moon is only 0.5º. The celestial sphere around our planet is 360º and from anywhere on Earth you can see 180º — the visible night sky (the rest is below the horizon). So 0.5º is not much. It is actually just a 72,000th size of sky. The full moon, known as the strawberry moon rises in the sky in Antalya, Turkey on June 15, 2022. … [+] (Photo by Mustafa Ciftci / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) The Anadolu agency through Getty Images The seemingly large size of a rising full moon is due to something called the “Moon illusion”. Whether you see a full moon rising behind a tree, between buildings or on the roofs of houses, our brains make comparisons between them and the size of the Moon. Your brain makes the Moon look huge. It is a visual illusion that lasts only a few minutes when the Moon is close to the horizon. The full moon rises behind a hot air balloon that glides over the region of Cappadocia, located in Central Anatolia … [+] Nevsehir Province, Turkey on June 15, 2020. (Photo by Behcet Alkan / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) The Anadolu agency through Getty Images Either way, the night of the full moon is the only opportunity of the month to see the full disk of the Moon appear on the horizon at dusk. This is because it rises about 50 minutes later each night, so it either rises during daylight or darkness on either side of the “full moon night”. The Strawberry Full Moon rises over Manhattan in New York, United States on June 14, 2022. (Photo … [+] by Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) The Anadolu agency through Getty Images The Moon always appears at its best at sunrise and sunset near the moment when it is in its “full” phase. For most of the night the Full Moon always looks – bright and white – although for about 15 minutes as it rises in the east it looks orange, turning light yellow as it rises higher in the sky. The inflatable moon rises in the countryside of the village of Tal Salour in the prison held by the guerrillas … [+] The Afrin region of the northern province of Aleppo, Syria on June 13, 2022, one day before the “supermoon” of June. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP) (Photo by RAMI AL SAYED / AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images The reason for the color of the Moon as it rises is something called Rayleigh scattering. The Earth’s atmosphere contains oxygen and nitrogen molecules that absorb some light wavelengths more efficiently than others. The full moon strawberry rises behind the medieval tower of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in Italy in June … [+] 13, 2022. The June Moon is the first supermoon of 2022, the next will be in July. (Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola / NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images Colors in sunlight with short wavelengths, such as blue, hit more particles and are therefore absorbed more often. They disperse more easily, which is why the sky is blue during the day. Colors with longer wavelengths, such as orange, pass through the atmosphere more easily and unhindered. The full moon rises as the “Strawberry Supermoon” of June 2022 in Singapore on June 14, 2022. (Photo by … [+] ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP) (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images When you look at the moonrise, you are looking at the whole planet, so you are looking through a lot of atmosphere. Thus, Rayleigh scattering intensifies, with orange dominating the light that reaches your eyes. The Strawberry Full Moon rises over the city of Gaza, on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (Photo Sameh … [+] Rahmi / NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images The next full moon is the “Buck Moon”, which rises on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. It will also be a “supermoon”, although not as close as the “Strawberry Moon” so slightly smaller in the sky. I wish you clear skies and open eyes.
