EXPLAINER: All you need to know about rare Strawberry Moon visible over Irish skies tonight
It could be another twenty years before Irish skygazers get to witness another full moon like this one
Irish skygazers are in for a treat on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning as a rare Strawberry Moon will be visible in Irish skies.
Why is it so rare?
The full moon in June is typically the lowest hanging of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and so it usually appears the largest. Luckily for us, it will look even bigger this year due to a 'major lunar standstill' which happened earlier this year.
A lunar standstill happens every 18.6 years and is when the moon reaches the extremes of its orbit around the Earth, rising and setting at its most northern and southern positions on the horizon. The effects of this are most obvious during a full moon.
With this lunar standstill making the Strawberry Moon appear even bigger, skygazers may not see another moon like this until 2043.
What does it look like?
The Strawberry Moon has a reddish pink tinge, although that's not the reason for its name. It in fact gets its name from Indigenous Americans and the time of year wild strawberries were harvested as it appears in June.
To our eyes, the moon will appear like a beautiful and colourful sunset.
Tuesday night will be the best opportunity to see the Strawberry Moon in Ireland and with Met Éireann predicting a night of 'broken cloud', fingers crossed we'll have plenty of clear skies!