One sweet view: Where and when to see Monday night’s Strawberry Moon

In January, we had the Super Wolf Blood Moon, a total lunar eclipse that made the celestial body look red. In February, it was the Super Snow Moon, a massive-looking beast that shows up when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth and when it’s also full.

Now we have the Strawberry Moon. You might have seen it early Monday when the full moon appeared opposite the sun. And you still have a chance to see it later in the evening.

Here are some things you should know:

What is a Strawberry Moon?

June’s full moon got its name from some Native American tribes who believed it signaled the time of year to start gathering those fat, juicy strawberries, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Where does its color come from?

“The Strawberry Moon is the most colorful of the year because of the low and shallow path it follows across the sky, said Bob Bonadurer, director of the Milwaukee Public Museum’s planetarium,” according to the USA Today. “The low arc of the moon means moonlight must travel through more of the Earth’s atmosphere, which gives it an orange or yellow tint,” the report added.

When can we see it Monday night? 

While the moon was officially full earlier Monday, the Strawberry Moon can still be spotted from sundown to sunrise. And even though it’s not exactly full, it’ll still look plenty round up there in the eastern sky. A good time to look for it is at dusk when the sun is going down in the opposite direction.

How about in the Bay Area?

It should be easy to spot; forecasts call for mostly clear skies throughout the Bay Area.

What’s the best way to watch it?

CNN meteorologist Judson Jones suggests skygazers check it out when the moon is still sitting low on your horizon: “My favorite time to watch the full moon is as it is rising over the eastern horizon,” according to a story on the network’s website. “When the moon is low on the horizon, it allows you to capture the view with objects in the foreground, making the moon appear bigger.”

What if we can’t get out to see it?

Here’s how it looked Sunday night:

Anything else up in the sky we should be looking for?

Yes. Skywatchers should keep an eye out for Jupiter, which the USA Today report says will be shining brightly in the night sky not far from the Strawberry Moon. “Jupiter is so bright this month because it’s as close to Earth as it ever gets,” it said. “This annual event is officially known as ‘opposition,’ when Jupiter, Earth and the sun are arranged in a straight line with Earth in the middle, according to NASA.”