The full 'strawberry moon' will rise on the evening of June5 and, no, it's not going to be as red as a strawberry. The name given for this year'slunar eclipse coincides with the harvest time for the soft fruit, hence the name.
The Maine Farmer's Almanac first published Indian names forthe full moons back in the 1930s. According to them, June marks the beginningof the short strawberry season in the North-Eastern United States.
These names come from traditional names given by NativeAmericans and early colonial settlers who used the full moons as a way ofkeeping track of the planting and harvesting seasons.
The lunar eclipse will be visible only in some parts of theworld for a short duration. Skywatchers in much of Asia (including India),Australia, Africa, South/East South America, much of Europe, Pacific, Atlantic,Indian Ocean and Antarctica can witness the penumbral lunar eclipse tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the rest of us can enjoy the full moon which willappear for about three days; from early Thursday morning to early Sunday morning.During the eclipse, the moon will, however, not be in the sky for most of theAmericas says NASA.
'With the moon also particularly low in the sky this month, it’ssure to dominate and even be visible inthe afternoon and early evening,' Jamie Carter wrote in Forbes.
During the ‘strawberry moon' eclipse, 57 per cent of themoon is expected to pass into the Earth’s penumbra.?Apenumbral lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth, and the Moon areimperfectly aligned.?
In this case, the Earth blocks some of the Sun’s lightfrom directly reaching the Moon with the outer part of its shadow, also knownas the penumbra. The next two lunar eclipses (also penumbral) of 2020 will beon 4-5 July and 29-30 November.
Post the June 5 lunar eclipse 2020, the next two lunareclipses of 2020 will be visible on July 4 and 5. Post July, the lunar eclipsesin 2020 on November 29 and 30.
?On this year's lunareclipse, American Space Agency NASA says, 'The Moon will be close enough toopposite the Sun that it will pass through part of the partial shadow of theEarth, called a partial penumbral eclipse of the Moon. During this eclipse theMoon will not be in the sky for most of the Americas. If we could see the Moon,the slight dimming during this eclipse will not be noticeable withoutinstrumentation. For spacecraft at the Moon such as the Lunar ReconnaissanceOrbiter (LRO), the reduction in solar power is noticeable.'
It is safe to look at a lunar eclipse with bare eyes and nospecial glasses are required for this.?