Strawberry full moon arrives Friday night

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Summer is underway and the first full moon of the new astronomical season is set to arrive Friday night!

Summer officially began at 4:50 PM Thursday. Note this is when the Earth is tilted the farthest toward the sun.

Now on the first full day of summer, the “Strawberry Moon” becomes full at 9:07 PM Friday night. The name comes from the historical ripening of strawberries ready to be gathered in June. No, you will not see a pink color from the moon. What you will see is a large moon that is low on the horizon, although note the moon will not rise until around 9:37 PM in our area.

It is unusual for a full moon to coincide with a solstice or equinox. The last time this happened was on the spring equinox in 2015 and the next time it will happen is on the winter solstice in 2033.

The moon was last full on the summer solstice in 2001 and this will happen next on the summer solstice in 2039.

Stay cool as you head out to view the moon! Visit our WANE 15 Weather Page for the hour-by-hour forecast for Friday night.