Fact Check

A Pink Strawberry Moon Will Rise in June 2015

Fauxtography: Photograph shows a pink strawberry moon.

Published June 2, 2015

Claim:

Claim:   June 2015 will see the appearance of a pink-colored 'strawberry moon.'


MIXTURE


Example:   [Collected via e-mail, June 2015]


I am wanting to know if what I saw on Facebook is true or false. There will be a strawberry moon on June 2 2015.



 

Origins:   When the annual 'Strawberry Moon' appears in the June sky, some sky gazers expect to witness a rosy lunar event marked by the appearance of a pink-colored moon in the sky. This is not the case, however, as the Strawberry Moon derives its name from the strawberry harvest season and not from any effect that influences the moon's visible hues.

According to the Farmer's Almanac, the June full moon was known to every Algonquin tribe as the Strawberry Moon because it signified the start of the strawberry harvesting season:


The month of June's full Moon's name is the Full Strawberry Moon. June's Full Strawberry Moon got its name because the Algonquin tribes knew it as a signal to gather ripening fruit.

It was often known as the Full Rose Moon in Europe (where [modern] strawberries aren't native).


 

The June full moon is also sometimes referred to as the "hot moon" since it marks the start of warm weather in North America.

Last updated:   2 June 2015


Sources:




    Farmer's Almanac.   "Full Moon Names and Their Meanings"

    2015.


David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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