How to see the full moon of strawberries

Wednesday 11 June the full moon returns to our skies. It happens every month, of course, but this is special. That’s why.

Time

The full phase will be reached at 09:46 of our watches, in the middle of daytime, when the satellite has been set for a few hours now. From Italy, therefore, the closest observations to the full phase will be possible in the early hours of day 11, By accompanying the splendid star until dawn, when it sets around 04:45.

The observation can then be repeated on the evening of 11 June, with the moon that will arise around 9:30 pm, 45 minutes after the sunset.

The show of the full moon is maximum to its rise, that is, at the sunset, or at sunset of our satellite, that is, at dawn (the full moon shines in the sky on the opposite side with respect to our star, so that it rises at sunset of the sun and sets at dawn).

“During the twilight,” says the astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, “the residual sunlight allows you to admire the terrestrial landscape while the full moon rises or falls on the horizon, at night its light is very intense, almost dazzling, compared to the very discreet one of the panorama. At its rise the moon projected behind buildings and landscape elementsgenerating the feeling that his disc is bigger, but it is only an optical illusion, due precisely to the presence in the visual field of terms of comparison, taken from the environment “.

Because it is a special full moon

After the even more extreme one of 22 June 2024, it will be the most southern full moon until 2043. About 17 hours later, around 02:30 on 12 June, our satellite will reach the most southern celestial position touched by a moon still practically full from 2006 to 2043.

The orbit of the moon is inclined by just over 5 degrees compared to the terrestrial one: seen from our planet, therefore, the satellite can differ up to a maximum of that quantity to the north or south compared to the ecliptic, the projection between the stars of the terrestrial orbit, or the apparent annual path of the sun along the zodiac.

If that “extra” gap of about 5 degrees adds north with the moon already close to the northern extreme of the ecliptic, or stems south when the satellite is at the southern end of the zodiac, then the position of the moon assumes, respectively, the most northern or southern value possible, a condition that is called lunist greater.

This condition is recurring, since the lunar orbit plan precedes in the space of about 19 degrees a year, completing a ride in 18.6 years. The last time he had occurred a greater lunist was in 2006; Now, after the one in progress, it will be proposed again in 2043.

On June 11, the moon will be full near the southern largest lunist, hence its extreme position, low to the south. On that occasion, the satellite will be a guest of the compillration of the filing, crossed by the Eclitic as the most famous twelve of the Zodiac.

Alternative ways to see the full moon of strawberries

The Virtual Telescope Project, thanks to its instruments installed in Manciano, in the province of Grosseto, will resume the Full moon of strawberries, as is called in the American tradition due to the concomitant harvest of small fruitswhile standing on the horizon of the Maremma, sharing the vision live will also be shown the images obtained a few hours earlier, at dawn, with the moon taken from the capital. The comment on the event will be of the astrophysicist Gianluca Masi. The live broadcast is set for 11 June 2025, starting at 9.30 pm. Participation is free. It is sufficient to access, on 11 June from 9.30 pm, to the website of Virtual Telescope.