June may mark the first month of summer, but this year, the month also marks the second of four supermoons happening in 2022.
The next full moon is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning. It will not be visible until it rises above the horizon later that evening. The Old Farmer’s Almanac suggests looking toward the southeast to watch the moon rise, and it will appear large and golden-hued.
According to Space.com, Tuesday’s full moon is the second of four consecutive supermoons in which the full moon of a month coincides with the moon at or near perigee, its closest point to the Earth in its monthly orbit. It appears slightly larger and brighter than a typical full moon.
The term “supermoon” refers to either a new or full moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90% of perigee, its closest approach to Earth, according to NASA.
Other full moons that will be visible from North America this summer will occur on July 13 and August 11.
The origin of the name “Strawberry Moon” has nothing to do with the moon’s color, according to The Almanac. Its reddish appearance when the moon is close to the horizon is due to its reflected light rays passing through the densest layer of Earth’s atmosphere.
Over the centuries, this moon has been known by several names, including Blooming Moon, Green Corn Moon, Hoer Moon, Birth Moon, Egg Laying Moon, Hatching Moon, Honey Moon, and Mead Moon.
The word “honeymoon” traces back to at least the 1500s in Europe. The tradition of calling the first month of marriage the “honeymoon” may be tied to this full moon because of the custom of marrying in June or because the “Honey Moon” is the “sweetest” Moon of the year, according to NASA.
The agency reports the next full moon will begin Tuesday morning at 7:52 a.m. Eastern. Less than 12 hours later, at 7:24 pm, the moon will be at perigee, its closest point to the Earth for this orbit. This full moon is near enough to perigee to be a supermoon.
For NASA’s complete detailed daily guide on celestial events, click here.
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As with all forecasted phenomena related to outer space, sometimes local weather may not cooperate with cloudiness preventing amateur astronomers from enjoying the event.
This year, The Virtual Telescope Project in Ceccano, Italy is hosting a free live stream of the full moon on Tuesday, beginning at 3:15 pm Eastern. It will show the moon as it rises over the country’s capital of Rome.
“We will admire the full moon rising above the glorious monuments of Rome, the Eternal City,” astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project wrote in an email alert. Masi will also host the webcast on the Virtual Telescope Project website and on YouTube, according to Space.com.
Watch the Live Stream below of the full moon rising over Rome, Italy beginning at 3:15 pm Eastern Tuesday.
The Christian Perspective
As CBN News reported last month, unique weather conditions in China’s port city of Zhoushan caused the sky to turn blood-red, leaving many of the city’s residents wondering if the end of the world had come.
A sense of panic could be heard in the voices of some of the residents as they recorded the eerie phenomenon which was seen under thick layers of fog, according to The Daily Mail. Some thought the red sky was an evil omen for China.
The crimson sky quickly became one of the trending topics on Chinese social media as videos of the event garnered tens of millions of views.
Chinese local media later claimed the blood-red sky was caused by the refraction of the lights from fishing boats.
In Israel, commentators who heard about the blood-red skies in China brought up a familiar biblical reference. During historic events like this, Bible scholars often point to the book of Joel in the Old Testament where a verse describes “blood and fire and pillars of smoke” in the skies.
Joel 2:30-31 reads, “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.“
As CBN News also reported last month, amateur astronomers and other skywatchers witnessed the first lunar eclipse of 2022.
Some called this event a “super flower blood moon.” NASA explained when the Moon moves completely into the umbra – the part of the eclipse known as totality, the Moon turns reddish-orange. This change in the Moon’s color is due to Earth’s atmosphere. The red color comes from some of the sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere where it gets bent and colors like blue or green are filtered out, leaving behind longer wavelengths like the color red.
Celestial events like blood moons and solar eclipses have clear scientific explanations, but there could also be a spiritual significance behind them. The Bible talks about signs in the heavens quite a few times, especially related to the moon and sun.
In Psalm 136:7-9, we are reminded that in God’s handiwork of the universe, we can be assured His “steadfast love endures forever.”
“To him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;”
In the New Testament’s Luke 21:25-28, the reader is also reminded of the signs that will appear in the heavens before Jesus’s return.
In the scripture, Jesus said, “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
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