A ‘strawberry moon’ to peak soon over Kentucky. Here’s your best chance to see it

A popular full moon will peak in Kentucky skies soon, and it looks like Lexington residents might get a chance to see it on a clear night.

The “strawberry moon” occurs each year in June, and it’s also known by several other names.

The name “strawberry moon” is attributed to the Algonquian, Ojibwe, Dakota and Lakota peoples, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. It marks the peak of strawberry harvest season.

Here are some of the other names for June’s full moon, from The Old Farmer’s Almanac:

• Blooming moon (attributed to the Anishinaabe)

• Green corn moon (Cherokee)

• Hoer moon (Western Abenaki)

• Birth moon (Tlingit)

• Egg laying moon (Cree)

• Hatching moon (Cree)

• Honey moon (European)

• Mead moon (Eurpoean)

Here’s when to see this year’s strawberry moon in the Lexington area, plus when to catch more full moons in 2023.

When can you see the strawberry moon in Lexington?

The 2023 strawberry moon will peak at 11:42 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Saturday, according to NASA, and it will look full from Friday evening to Monday morning.

National Weather Service meteorologists forecast Friday night will be clear with a low around 64 degrees, and Saturday night will be partly cloudy with a low near 64 degrees. Sunday night’s forecast is “mostly clear” with a low around 61 degrees.

The moon will rise at 7:41 p.m. in Lexington Friday, according to timeanddate.com. Saturday night’s moonrise will be at 8:55 p.m., and Sunday night’s will be at 10:07 p.m.

When to see more full moons this year

Here’s when to see the rest of 2023’s full moons, from Space.com:

• July 3: Buck supermoon

• Aug. 1: Sturgeon supermoon

• Aug. 30: Blue supermoon (appears biggest and brightest of the year)

• Sept. 29: Harvest supermoon

• Oct. 28: Hunter’s moon

• Nov. 27: Beaver moon

• Dec. 26: Cold moon

The Blue supermoon will be August’s second full moon, and Forbes says the best times to see it will be the evenings of Aug. 30 and Aug. 31.

These moons have multiple names, and many come from Indigenous cultures. The Farmers’ Almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.

The Bluegrass Amateur Astronomy Club has two stargazing events planned in June, including a June 10 event at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill and a June 17 gathering at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary in Lexington.

Raven Run may charge $1 for members of the public to attend, and events may be subject to weather cancellations when it’s cloudy.

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