Next Strawberry Moon Set to Take the Sky Tonight
Sometimes it's easy to get wrapped up in our own lives and forge that in the grand scheme of things, we are nothing more than a speck in vastness that is the universe. I think we sometimes take things like the sun and moon for granted because we see them nearly every day and night. But, every once in a while they'll do something a little different to remind us they're there.
Even though I have no desire to physically leave this planet, I am fascinated by what exists beyond it and how it works. Think about it, on one side, there is essentially a massive rock circling us all the time, being held in place by a force we can't see that's generated from the ground beneath our feet that is constantly spinning, but we can't feel it. On the other side, there is a massive fireball over 94 million miles away that's also spinning, generating its own force, holding us in place. That's some amazing, mind-melting stuff if you ask me.
What's even more amazing is when those two entities play off each other and we get the pleasure of watching the result. A few years ago, it was the solar eclipse, and tonight it's the Strawberry Moon.
While a Strawberry Moon is more common than a solar eclipse (the Strawberry Moon happens yearly around this time), it doesn't take away from the really cool visual we get to see. Instead of its normal grey-ish look, the moon will have a red-ish color to it thanks to being positioned directly across from the sun. Surprisingly, it doesn't get its name because it looks like the fruit. According to NASA, "The name comes from the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries in the north-eastern United States."
Regardless of how it got its name, it will be a sight to see, so take a break from watching the world burn on TV and social media, step outside, and take it in.
[Source: NASA]