For the first time since 1967, the summer solstice has fallen on the same day as the full moon. This is a rare occurence, apparently only happening once ever 70 years. In other words, this probably won't happen again in our lifetime so, folks, it's kind of a big deal. Here are some things you might want to know about it.
What's the summer solstice?
It's the longest day of the year. Today, we're getting 17 whole hours of sunlight (aka rain); the sun rose at 4.43am and sunset won't be until 9.21pm. That's a long day. The word 'Solstice' comes from the Latin word ‘solstitium’ meaning ‘sun standing still’. It’s also known as ‘Litha’.
Why is it a big deal?
The summer solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years. It's seen as marking the start of summer although you could also look at it the opposite way: that from now on the days get shorter so we're on our way to winter. Great.
Around 20,000 people are expected to gather at the historical site of Stonehenge in Wiltshire and celebrate the solstice. Here, the rising sun only reaches the middle of the stones one day of the year: on the summer solstice.
Frank Somers, a member of Amesbury and Stonehenge Druids, said in an interview with IBTimes UK, spoke of how Druids acknowledge how everything moves in cycles. 'Even though the days are getting shorter the Earth's temperature is increasing and you've got the whole summer culminating in harvest, which everyone is looking forward to. What you're celebrating on a mystical level is that you're looking at light at its strongest. It represents things like the triumph of the king, the power of light over darkness, and just life – life at its fullest.'
What's the Strawberry Moon?
You've probably heard this name banded around a bit in connection with the summer solstice. You'd be forgiven for thinking that we're going to spot a ruby-coloured moon in the sky tonight, but the name doesn’t relate to the colour of it at all, although it might have an orangey hue.
Basically, every full moon (there's one a month) has a name and June's is called 'the Strawberry Moon'. The name is said to have come from the Native American Algonquin tribes who believed that June’s full moon signaled the beginning of the strawberry picking season. It's also referred to as the Rose Moon, Hot Moon and Honey Moon.
The summer solstice means its when the midday sun is at it’s highest compared to any other time of the year and because it's so high, the Moon must be low. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac ‘Even at its loftiest at 1 AM, it’s downright wimpy-low. This forces its light through thicker air, which also tends to be humid this time of year, and the combination typically makes it amber coloured’.
What does the Strawberry Moon mean?
Well, that really depends if you buy into the idea that the moon can affect people's behaviour. A full moon is often associated with more accidents, hospital admissions, disturbed sleep and even the word 'lunacy' comes from the idea that a full moon creates erratic behaviour. Despite that, many studies into whether there is a correlation have found no link.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.