The kickoff to summer stargazing season is starting tonight with something you don’t need any fancy equipment to enjoy: the strawberry moon.

This first full moon of summer is named by indigenous tribes to mark strawberry-picking season, and it also glows the warmest of the year. 

While we get a full moon at least once a month, this is actually one of the best to see all year long. 

What makes it unique

While you moon-watch, you might notice both a warmth in the air and in the hue of the big, beautiful light in the sky.

That’s because it stays very low on the horizon (at least if viewing from the Northern Hemisphere) instead of peaking high in the sky as it would in the winter. 

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From this point in the sky, the moon’s orangy-pink glow develops from Earth's atmosphere scattering shorter wavelengths.

But it won’t keep the color for long, only for about 30 minutes before it’s the typical shade of white.

How to moon gaze

While watching the cosmos can sometimes be a complicated task, moon gazing is a bit simpler.

The real key, with all sky watching really, is the weather and cloud cover. It’ll be really hard to enjoy the moon if it’s storming where you are or heavily obscured on a cloudy night. Keep an eye on the weather to plan accordingly.

In general, you need a clear view of the southeastern horizon. So maybe an open field, beach, hill top or long straight road — no trees or buildings blocking your view.

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But like we said, this moon in particular lies low on the horizon, so you’ll need to be extra attentive to that.

As for timing, your best bet is during dusk, right around local moonrise time on Monday, June 29. 

Since the bright light it casts makes it much harder to see any stars, you’ll want to let the moon be the star of the show this time.

So, go get yourself a bowl of perfectly ripe strawberries and allow yourself some time to connect with nature and the peace you can find in the presence of the full moon.

Content writer Ada Wood enjoys exploring the stories that science and climate teach us about our natural world and how it influences the way we live in it.