The longest day and the strawberry moon get together Monday

It's the first time in nearly 70 years that the two astronomical events happen on the same day.

June 20, 2016 at 10:08AM
Ponderosa pine of New Mexico's Gila National Forest frames a rising full moon.
Ponderosa pine of New Mexico's Gila National Forest frames a rising full moon. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A strawberry moon — the first full moon in June — and the summer solstice will meet on the same day Monday, the first time that has happened since 1948.

The solstice means we'll get about 15 hours and 37 minutes of daylight in these latitudes. That's almost seven more hours of light than we got on the winter solstice, Dec. 22 (you may also remember that it was quite a bit colder, too).

The strawberry moon will appear at 6:02 Monday morning, while the solstice officially occurs at 5:34 p.m., when the sun shines most directly over the Tropic of Cancer, says meteorologist Todd Nelson.

The poetic name of this moon comes from the Algonquin tribes, who named it for the fruits ripening at this phase, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, while Europeans called it the rose moon.

With strawberries in season, a full moon overhead and Minnesota's short summer in its full glory, Monday looks like a good day to bask.

A full moon rose in April over Minneapolis' I-35-W bridge — lit up purple in honor of the death of Minnesota music icon Prince.
A full moon rose in April over Minneapolis' I-35-W bridge — lit up purple in honor of the death of Minnesota music icon Prince. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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about the writer

Catherine Preus

Copy Editor, Homepage Editor, Page Designer

Catherine Preus has spent over 20 years on the night production desk and has also written for the Travel section, managed the homepage and kept the Star Tribune stylebook updated.  

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