Forget your raspberry beret.
A dazzling full strawberry moon is set to illuminate Metro Vancouver this June.
Known as the full strawberry moon, the June moon will be at its fullest on Thursday, June 24 at 11:39 a.m. in Vancouver. However, the celestial body will appear quite full later that night and the night before (June 23).
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the June moon got its name, "from the Algonquin tribes who knew it as a signal to gather the ripening fruit of wild strawberries." It notes that Native peoples would give distinctive names to each reoccurring full moon to mark the change of seasons. As such, many of these names arose when Native Americans first interacted with colonialists.
June's full moon is also known as the Honey Moon, Mead Moon, and the Full Rose Moon in Europe.
Skywatchers should opt to travel as far away from city lights as possible in order to avoid light pollution that will obscure the clarity of heavenly bodies. While this works best in more remote places, anywhere that has a higher elevation will also provide more ideal viewing conditions.
Flower supermoon and total lunar eclipse
This year, May's full moon, known as the "flower moon," was also considered a "supermoon."
What in the world does that mean?
No, the lunar behemoth didn't possess supernatural powers or super-celestial abilities - it simply looked bigger.
But that's still pretty neat.
Sadly, cloud coverage prevented locals from having a clear view of the lunar eclipse. However, photographers were able to snap some breathtaking images of the full supermoon.
