The Full Moon with Strawberries Father's Day will be special because of Jupiter

This Sunday is Father's Day, and it will be especially special for observers because the full moon will coincide with Jupiter's shine.

The moon will be technically at maximum around 16:30 EDT on June 17. However, according to NASA, it will still appear fully lit from Saturday to Tuesday morning.

This happens about once a month when the Earth is positioned between the sun and the moon. In this situation, the moon's face that we can see is fully lit by our star and appears as a perfect circle.

Traditionally, the full moon of June – the last of spring – is called "The Strawberry Moon" in North America, according to the almanac of the old farmer, published since 1792. The name comes from the group of "The Strawberry Moon". Algonquin Indians. and it is a reference to the fact that this time of year was when strawberries were ripe to be harvested in the northeastern part of the continent – their homeland.

The full strawberry moon is also called "mead" or "honeymoon" in Europe. This is a reference to mead – an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey and various fruits, spices, grains or hops. Some research indicates that June was considered the best time to harvest honey from bees, according to NASA.

The practice of naming full moons in this way dates back to ancient times, when people relied on the lunar calendar to follow the passage of the seasons.

The full moon will not be the only feast of this Father's Day. Coincidentally, Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, will also be particularly large and bright at this time.

NASA says the gas giant will rise at dusk and remain visible to the naked eye all night long. However, for an improved visual experience, it is recommended to use binoculars or a small telescope, in which case you may just be able to see one of the four largest moons on the planet, or perhaps its characteristic cloud bands. .

Jupiter appears particularly large and bright at this time because it is closer to our planet than usual.

In fact, on June 12, Jupiter became closer to our planet than in 2019, according to EarthSky. At its closest approach, it was less than 398 million kilometers from Earth.

Two days ago, Jupiter had reached "opposition". This refers to the annual occurrence when Jupiter, the Earth and the Sun are all arranged in a straight line, with our planet in the middle.