Strawberry Supermoon: This Thursday (24th) night, the last supermoon of the year takes place. In the phenomenon, the satellite appears larger for being in the full phase and closer to Earth. The change for people watching with the naked eye, however, will be barely noticeable.
Still, if you’re a fan of astronomy and don’t want to miss the event, the best time to observe the satellite is during the first hour after its appearance in the sky, which should happen around 6:30 pm. For more accuracy, use astronomical observation apps to check the exact time in your region.
Strawberry moon
As is common, in addition to scientific names, phenomena often gain popular nicknames, such as the famous “blood moon” or “rose moon”. Today’s is known as the “strawberry moon”.
The name was thought by the North American native peoples, who related the phases of the moon with natural phenomena, such as the seasons of the year or with the different periods of planting. In this case, the phenomenon became known as the time when the strawberry begins to ripen for harvest.
Rio Planetarium astronomer Naelton Araújo explained to UOL that the term has a purely cultural and not astronomical origin. “The Moon won’t be pink or any other color. At sunrise, it can be more yellowish, orange or even reddish, depending on the atmospheric conditions of the place from which you look,” he said.
