The Next Full Moon is the Strawberry Moon, Mead or Honey Moon - and a Full Moon Weekend

The Next Full Moon is the Strawberry Moon, Mead or Honey Moon, Rose Moon, Flower Moon, Hot Moon, Hoe Moon, Planting Moon, Vat Purnima, Poson Poya, and the LRO Moon.

The next full Moon will be on Saturday night, June 3, 2023, appearing opposite the Sun in Earth-based longitude just before midnight at 11:42 PM EDT. The bright star Antares will appear a few degrees to the right of the Moon. This will be on Sunday from the Argentina and Atlantic Daylight Time zones eastward across the rest of North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia to the International Date Line in the mid-Pacific. Most commercial calendars use Greenwich Mean or Universal Coordinated Time (GMT or UTC) and will show this full Moon on Sunday. The Moon will appear full for 3 days around this time, from Friday night through Monday morning, making this a full Moon weekend.

The Maine Farmers' Almanac began publishing "Indian" names for full Moons in the 1930s and these names are now widely known and used. According to this almanac, as the full Moon in June the Algonquin tribes of what is now the north-eastern United States called this the Strawberry Moon. The name comes from the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries in the north-eastern United States. For my yard at least, I can attest that the strawberries are in!

An old European name for this full Moon is the Mead or Honey Moon. Mead is a drink created by fermenting honey mixed with water and sometimes with fruits, spices, grains, or hops. In some countries Mead is also called Honey Wine (though in others Honey Wine is made differently). Some writings suggest that the time around the end of June was when honey was ready for harvesting, which made this the "sweetest" Moon. The word "honeymoon" traces back to at least the 1500s in Europe. The tradition of calling the first month of marriage the "honeymoon" may be tied to this full Moon because of the custom of marrying in June or because the "Honey Moon" is the "sweetest" Moon of the year. There doesn't appear to be much evidence to support a 19th century theory that the word entered English from the custom of gifting newlyweds mead for their first month of marriage.

Another European name for this full Moon is the Rose Moon, although this could also be the full Moon in July. Some sources indicate this name comes from the roses that bloom in June. Others indicate that it comes from the reddish color of the full Moon when it is low in the sky. The orbit of the Moon around the Earth is almost in the same plane as the orbit of the Earth around the Sun (only about 5 degrees off). On the summer solstice the Sun appears highest in the sky for the year. Full Moons are opposite the Sun, so a full Moon near the summer solstice will be low in the sky. Particularly for Europe's higher latitudes, when the full Moon is low it shines through more atmosphere, making it more likely to have a reddish color (for the same reasons that sunrises and sunsets are red). If the name comes from the low elevation of the full Moon, the full Moon on July 3, 2023, will be the Rose Moon, as it will be closer to the summer solstice and only reach 22.4 degrees above the southern horizon at its highest, 2 degrees lower than this full Moon.

Other seasonal names for this full Moon that I have found mentioned in various sources (sometimes with conflicting information about whether they are of European or Native American origin) are the Flower Moon, Hot Moon, Hoe Moon, and Planting Moon.

For Hindus this is Vat Purnima. During the 3 days of this full Moon married women will show their love for their husbands by tying a ceremonial thread around a banyan tree. The celebration is based on the legend of Savitri and Satyavan.

For Buddhists this is Poson Poya. The Poson holiday in Sri Lanka celebrates the introduction of Buddhism in 236 BCE.

Another tribe has given a name to this full Moon. This tribe is now scattered but mostly lived in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. This tribe's language is primarily English, but with a liberal smattering of acronyms, arcane scientific and engineering terms, and Hawaiian phrases (cheerfully contributed by the former Deputy Project Manager). Comprised of people from all backgrounds, many of whom have gone on to join other tribes, this tribe was devoted to the study of the Moon. This tribe calls June's full Moon the LRO Moon, in honor of the spacecraft they launched towards the Moon on June 18, 2009. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is still orbiting the Moon providing insights about our nearest celestial neighbor, some of which help us understand our own planet. See https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/main/index.html for more information.

In many traditional lunar and lunisolar calendars the full Moons fall in the middle of the lunar months. This full Moon is in the middle of the fourth month of the Chinese year of the Rabbit and Sivan in the Hebrew calendar. In the Islamic calendar the months start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon shortly after the new Moon. This full Moon near the middle of Dhu al-Qadah, one of the four sacred months during which warfare is prohibited.

As usual, the wearing of suitably celebratory celestial attire is encouraged in honor of the full Moon.

As for other celestial events between now and the full Moon after next (with specific times and angles based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC):

As spring ends and summer begins, the daily periods of sunlight approach their longest on the solstice and begin shortening again. The solar days (as measured, for example, from solar noon to solar noon on a sundial) are longer than 24 hours near the solstices, so the earliest sunrises of the year occur before and the latest sunsets occur after the solstice. On Saturday, June 3, 2023 (the day of the full Moon), morning twilight will begin at 4:33 AM, sunrise will be at 5:44 AM, solar noon will be at 1:06 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 73.5 degrees, sunset will be at 8:29 PM, and evening twilight will end at 9:40 PM. June 13 and 14 are tied for the earliest sunrise of the year, with sunrise at 5:42:11 EDT and morning twilight starting at 4:30 AM. Solar noon on June 19 to solar noon on June 20, will be the longest solar day for this half of the year, 13 seconds longer than 24 hours. The summer solstice will be on June 21, at 10:57 AM, with morning twilight beginning at 4:30 AM, sunrise at 5:43 AM, solar noon at 1:10 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 74.6 degrees (its highest for the year), sunset at 8:37 PM, and evening twilight ending at 9:49 PM. This will be the day with the longest period of daylight (14 hours, 53 minutes, 42.5 seconds). June 28, will have the latest sunset of the year, with sunset at 8:37:30 and evening twilight ending at 9:50 PM. By Monday, July 3 (the day of the full Moon after next), morning twilight will begin at 4:36 AM, sunrise will be at 5:47 AM, solar noon will be at 1:12 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 74.1 degrees, sunset will be at 8:37 PM, and evening twilight will end at 9:49 PM.

Two meteor showers peak during this lunar cycle, but are expected to produce few if any visible meteors. The Arietids will peak on June 7, 2023, but this is a daytime meteor shower so only a few predawn meteors might be visible. The June Bootids usually produce few if any visible meteors even at its expected peak on June 27 (when moonlight will interfere this year), but this shower had an outburst in 1998 that produced 50 to 100 visible meteors per hour and another on June 23, 2004, that produced 20 to 50 visible meteors per hour. A surprise outburst is possible but unlikely.

Evening Sky Highlights

On the evening of Saturday, June 3, 2023 (the night of the full Moon), as evening twilight ends (at 9:40 PM EDT), the rising full Moon will be 10 degrees above the southeastern horizon near the bright star Antares. Two of the five visible planets will be in the sky, bright Venus (as the evening star) at 22 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon and Mars at 28 degrees above the western horizon near the Beehive Cluster. The bright star appearing closest to overhead will be Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Boötes the herdsman or plowman, at 76 degrees above the southeastern horizon. Arcturus is the 4th brightest star in our night sky and is 36.7 light years from us. While it has about the same mass as our Sun, it is about 2.6 billion years older and has used up its core hydrogen, becoming a red giant 25 times the size and 170 times the brightness of our Sun.

As this lunar cycle progresses, bright Venus, Mars, and the background of stars will appear to shift westward each evening (as the Earth moves around the Sun), with Venus and Mars shifting more slowly. Venus will pass near the Beehive Cluster on June 13. The waxing Moon will appear to move along the line of Pollux, Venus, Mars, and Regulus, passing Pollux on June 19, Venus and Mars on June 21, Mars on June 21 and 22, Regulus on June 22 and 23, and will pass near Spica on June 27 and Antares on June 30. Also on June 30, the planets Venus and Mars will be at their closest for this apparition, 3.6 degrees apart. By the evening of Monday, July 3, (the night of the full Moon after next), as evening twilight ends (at 9:49 PM EDT), the rising full Moon will be 3 degrees above the southeastern horizon. Two of the five visible planets will be in the sky, bright Venus (as the evening star) at 11 degrees and Mars at 14 degrees above the western horizon. The bright star appearing closest to overhead still will be Arcturus at 65 degrees above the southwestern horizon.

Morning Sky Highlights

On the morning of Saturday, June 3, 2023 (the morning before the full Moon after next), as morning twilight begins (at 4:33 AM EDT), the setting full Moon will be 4 degrees above the southwestern horizon, with the bright star Antares 9 degrees to the left. Two of the visible planets will be in the sky, bright Jupiter at 8 degrees above the eastern horizon and Saturn at 30 degrees above the southeastern horizon. The planet Mercury may be visible rising in the glow of dawn (rising 6 minutes after morning twilight begins). The bright star appearing closest to overhead will be Deneb at 81 degrees above the northeastern horizon. Deneb is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus the swan and is one of the three bright stars of the "Summer Triangle" (along with Vega and Altair). Deneb is about 20 times more massive than our Sun but has used up its hydrogen, becoming a blue-white supergiant about 200 times the diameter of the Sun. If Deneb were where our Sun is, it would extend to about the orbit of the Earth. Deneb is about 2,600 light years from us and is the 19th brightest star in our night sky.

As this lunar cycle progresses, Jupiter, Saturn, and the background of stars will appear to shift westward each evening. The waning Moon will appear near Saturn on June 10, Jupiter on June 14, and the Pleiades star cluster and Mercury on June 16. By the morning of Saturday, June 3, (the morning before the full Moon after next), as morning twilight begins (at 4:36 AM EDT), the setting full Moon will be 6 degrees above the southwestern horizon. Two of the visible planets will be in the sky, bright Jupiter at 28 degrees above the eastern horizon and Saturn at 40 degrees above the southern horizon. The bright star appearing closest to overhead still will be Deneb at 72 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon.

Detailed Daily Guide

Here for your reference is a day-by-day listing of celestial events between now and the full Moon after next. The times and angles are based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, so some of these details may differ for your location (I use parentheses to indicate specific times that might be different for you).

Friday night into early Saturday morning, May 26 to 27, 2023, the bright star Regulus will appear near the waxing Moon. Regulus will be 4 degrees to the lower left of the Moon as evening twilight ends (at 9:33 PM EDT) and will set first about 4 hours later (at 1:41 AM).

On Saturday midday, May 27, 2023, the Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 11:22 AM EDT.

Monday morning, May 29, 2023, will be when the planet Mercury will appear farthest from the Sun as seen from the Earth for this apparition (called greatest elongation). Because the angle between the line from Mercury to the Sun and the line of the horizon changes with the seasons, when Mercury and the Sun appear farthest apart will not be when Mercury will rise on the east-northeastern horizon nearest the start of morning twilight, which will occur in early June.

Monday evening, May 29, 2023, will be when the bright planet Venus and the bright star Pollux will pass nearest each other, 4 degrees apart. As evening twilight ends (at 9:35 PM EDT) Pollux will be to the upper right of Venus in the west-northwestern sky, with the planet Mars farther to the upper left. Venus will set first about 2 hours later (at 11:51 PM).

Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, May 30 to 31, 2023, the bright star Spica will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon. Spica will be 6.5 degrees to the lower left of the Moon as evening twilight ends (at 9:36 PM EDT) just 8 minutes before the Moon will reach its highest in the sky for the night. They will shift slightly closer together as the night progresses, with Spica setting first about 6 hours later (at 3:26 AM).

By Wednesday evening, May 31, 2023, the Moon will have shifted to appear 7.4 degrees to the other side of Spica, and the pair will separate as the night progresses.

On the evenings of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, June 1 through 3, 2023, with a telescope or binoculars, look for the planet Mars as it passes in front of the Beehive Cluster. They will appear at their closest on June 2.

From Friday, June 2, through Tuesday, June 6, 2023, Mercury will be rising on the east-northeastern horizon 6 minutes after morning twilight begins (rounding off to the nearest minute). However, where Mercury rises will be shifting closer to the brighter part of the horizon near where the Sun will rise, so your best view of Mercury for this apparition will likely be the end of May or the first few days of June.

As mentioned above, the next full Moon will be just before midnight on Saturday night, June 3, 2023, at 11:42 PM EDT, with the bright star Antares nearby. The Moon will appear full for 3 days around this time, from Friday evening through Monday morning, making this a full Moon weekend. As evening twilight ends (at 9:40 PM) Antares will appear less than 3 degrees to the upper right of the Moon. Antares will be 4 degrees to the right when the Moon reaches it highest in the sky for the night (Sunday morning at 1:08 AM). By the time morning twilight begins (at 4:33 AM) Antares will be 6 degrees to the lower right of the Moon.

Sunday morning, June 4, 2023, will be when the bright planet Venus reaches its greatest angular separation from the Sun as seen from the Earth for this apparition (called greatest elongation). Because the angle of the line between the Sun and Venus and the line of the horizon changes with the seasons, the date when Venus and the Sun appear farthest apart as seen from the Earth is not the same as when Venus appears highest above the horizon as evening twilight ends, which occurred on May 2.

Tuesday evening, June 6, 2023, at 7:07 PM EDT, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit.

Saturday morning, June 10, 2023, the planet Saturn will appear near the waning half Moon. As the Moon rises on the east-southeastern horizon (at 1:29 AM EDT) Saturn will be about 6 degrees to the upper right. The pair will appear to separate as morning progresses, with morning twilight beginning 3 hours later (at 4:31 AM).

Saturday afternoon, June 10, 2023, the waning Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its last quarter at 3:31 PM EDT.

On Tuesday evening, June 13, 2023, with a telescope or binoculars, look for the bright planet Venus passing to the right of the Beehive Cluster, with the planet Mars to the upper left. If the weather is uncertain, they should still be a good show the evenings before and after.

For the Washington DC area, Tuesday and Wednesday, June 13 and 14, 2023, are tied for the earliest sunrise of the year, with sunrise at 5:42:11 EDT.

On Wednesday morning, June 14, 2023, the bright planet Jupiter will appear about 2 degrees to the right of the waning crescent Moon. The Moon and Jupiter will rise together on the east-northeastern horizon (at 3:11 AM EDT) a little more than an hour before morning twilight begins (at 4:30 AM).

Friday morning, June 16, 2023, the thin, waning crescent Moon will appear low on the east-northeastern horizon about 5 degrees below the Pleiades star cluster. The Moon will be only 2 degrees above the horizon as morning twilight begins (at 4:30 AM EDT). Mercury will rise about 5 degrees below the Moon about 15 minutes later, although the increasing glow of dawn may make it hard to see these bodies (using binoculars would help).

Early Sunday morning, June 18, 2023, at 12:37 AM EDT, will be the new Moon, when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from the Earth. The day of or the day after the New Moon marks the start of the new month for many lunisolar calendars. The fifth month of the Chinese calendar starts on Sunday, June 18. Sundown on Monday, June 19, marks the start of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar.

In the Islamic calendar the months traditionally start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon. Many Muslim communities now follow the Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia, which uses astronomical calculations to start months in a more predictable way. Using this calendar, sundown on Sunday evening, June 18, 2023, will probably mark the beginning of Dhu al-Hijjah, although this is one of four months for which the calendar dates are often adjusted by the religious authorities of Saudi Arabia after actual sightings of the lunar crescent. Dhu al-Hijjah is the month of the Hajj on the eighth, ninth and the tenth days of the month, the Day of Arafah on the ninth day, and Eid al-Adha, the "Festival of the Sacrifice", beginning on the tenth and ending on the thirteenth day. Making the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

On Monday evening, June 19, 2023, you might be able to see the very thin, waxing crescent Moon on the west-northwestern horizon about 5 degrees below the bright star Pollux. As evening twilight ends (at 9:49 PM EDT) the Moon will only be 4 degrees above the horizon, and the Moon will set first 33 minutes later (at 10:22 PM).

By Tuesday evening, June 20, as evening twilight ends (at 9:49 PM), the Moon will have shifted to more than 8 degrees to the upper left of Pollux, and Pollux will set first 55 minutes later (at 10:44 PM).

Wednesday morning, June 21, 2023, at 10:58 AM EDT, will be the summer solstice, the astronomical end of spring and start of summer. This will be the day with the longest period of daylight (14 hours, 53 minutes, 42.5 seconds). Although it is the longest period of daylight for the year, it is not the longest solar day of the year (as measured for example from solar noon to solar noon). The longest solar day will occur in December near the winter solstice.

Wednesday evening, June 21, 2023, the bright planet Venus, the waxing crescent Moon, and the planet Mars will form a triangle in the evening sky, with the bright star Regulus farther to the upper left. As evening twilight ends (at 9:49 PM EDT) Venus will appear about 3 degrees to the lower left of the Moon with Mars about 6 degrees to the upper left of the Moon. Venus will set first on the west-northwestern horizon about 1.5 hours later (at 11:21 PM).

Thursday evening, June 22, 2023, the waxing crescent Moon will have shifted to form a triangle with the planet Mars to the lower right and the bright star Regulus to the left, with bright Venus farther to the lower right.

Thursday afternoon, June 22, 2023, at 2:31 PM EDT, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit.

Friday evening, June 23, 2023, the waxing crescent Moon will have shifted to the upper left, forming a rough line in the western sky from the Moon in the upper left to Regulus, then Mars, then bright Venus to the lower right.

On Monday morning, June 26, 2023, the Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 3:50 AM EDT.

For the Washington DC area, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, will be the day with the latest sunset of the year, with sunset at 8:37:30 EDT.

On Saturday morning, July 1, 2023, the planet Mercury will be passing on the far side of the Sun as seen from the Earth, called superior conjunction. Because Mercury orbits inside of the orbit of Earth it will be shifting from the morning to the evening sky and will begin emerging from the glow of the dusk on the western horizon sometime after July 6 (depending upon viewing conditions).

In the evenings of late June and early July, 2023, the bright planet Venus and the planet Mars will appear near each other in the western sky, forming a line with the bright star Regulus. Friday evening, June 30, will be when Venus and Mars will be at their closest. As evening twilight ends (at 9:50 PM EDT) Venus will be 13 degrees above the western horizon with Mars 3.6 degrees to the upper left and Regulus farther to the upper left. Venus will set first on the west-northwestern horizon 72 minutes later (at 11:02 PM).

Friday evening into early Saturday morning, June 30 to July 1, 2023, the bright star Antares will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon. The Moon will be 25 degrees above the south-southeastern horizon as evening twilight ends (at 9:50 PM EDT) with Antares 4 degrees to the lower left. The Moon will shift closer to Antares as the night progresses. The Moon will reach its highest in the sky for the night 1 hour later (at 10:51 PM). By the time Antares sets on the southwestern horizon Saturday morning (at 3:31 AM) Antares will only be one degree to the left of the Moon.

The full Moon after next will be Monday morning, July 3, 2023, at 7:39 AM EDT. The Moon will appear full for 3 days around this time, from Saturday evening to Tuesday evening.