Rare strawberry moon to appear in Dutch skies on June 11

People living in the Netherlands are in for a rare treat as the next full moon on June 11 is set to be none other than a unique strawberry moon, which won’t be visible again until 2044. Here’s when and how to see the natural phenomenon in the Netherlands.

Strawberry moon visible in the Netherlands on Wednesday

The Netherlands will see a full, reddish-pink strawberry moon appear very low on the horizon on Wednesday evening, to the delight of stargazers. The moon will first make an appearance at 10.05pm on June 11 when it rises, though it reaches its peak out of sight at around 9.43am. 

To see the strawberry moon in the Netherlands, viewers should try to get out of the cities and head to areas with as little human-made light as possible, such as national parks. Hopefully, the weather stays clear enough to catch a glimpse of the rare natural phenomenon. 

What exactly is a strawberry moon?

The moon will be both a strawberry moon and a full moon. Full moons are often “the fullest” in June, and this year, a “major lunar standstill” is set to accentuate the June full moon even more than usual. A major lunar standstill occurs approximately every 18,6 years, when the moon reaches the extremes of its orbit around Earth.

Apart from the fact that such a full moon won’t be visible again until 2044, the June full moon is so special because it will be a strawberry moon at the same time! The moon will appear a reddish-pink colour, but this characteristic is not where it gets its name from. The name was given by the indigenous Americans, referring to the fact that wild strawberries are often harvested in June.

So why is the strawberry moon pink? The moon actually only appears pink. This is because when a moon is so low on the horizon, its light shines to Earth through a thicker layer of the atmosphere. Like with an impressive sunset, it is longer wavelengths of red light that reach our eyes, which means the moon appears a pinkish colour.