Strawberry Moon Eclipse 2020: Timing, where to watch and all you need to know

A lunar eclipse only occurs during a Full Moon. The Earth, Moon and the Sun form a straight line during the lunar eclipse, with the Earth partially or completely hiding the Moon from the Sun.

Lunar Eclipse June 2020 timing in India: Between June 5 and 6, India will witness the second of the four penumbral lunar eclipses expected to occur this year. The first one was visible on the night intervening January 10 and 11. The penumbral lunar eclipse occuring around this time of the year is called a “Strawberry Eclipse”.

Strawberry Eclipse 2020: When to watch

According to an IE report, the eclipse will begin at 11:15 pm in India on June 5 and will last until a little past 2:30 am on June 6, for a total duration of 3 hours 18 minutes. The full stage of the eclipse will be visible at 12:54 am.

Lunar Eclipse June 2020: Where will the eclipse be visible?

As per Time and Date, the eclipse can be witnessed from most parts of Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia, South and East South America, Atlantic, Pacific, Antarctica and Indian Ocean.

Lunar Eclipse explained

A lunar eclipse only occurs during a Full Moon. The Earth, Moon and the Sun form a straight line during the lunar eclipse, with the Earth partially or completely hiding the Moon from the Sun, casting a shadow on the natural satellite as a result. However, there are different types of lunar eclipses. A total lunar eclipse is when the entire Moon is hidden by the Earth, leaving no portion visible. A partial eclipse on the other hand, is when only a portion of the planet’s natural satellite is hidden.

A penumbral lunar eclipse is a type of partial eclipse, in which the Earth does not directly hide the Moon, but the satellite is only partially or completely covered by the outer shadow of our planet. As a result, during the penumbral eclipse, the Moon does not disappear, but only fades.

Why is this called Strawberry Moon Eclipse?

This eclipse is being called the Strawberry Moon Eclipse because the Full Moon occurring at this time of the year is called the Strawberry Moon. It is used to refer to the Full Moon that occurs in June or the last Full Moon of the spring, as per NASA. The name is universal among North American native people and it is derived from the rather short-lived harvesting season for strawberries in the northeastern part of North America.

Other names for the Strawberry Moon

This Full Moon was also referred to as Mead Moon or Honey Moon by Europeans previously. As per NASA, it could be because honey was ready to be harvested at the end of June, making this the ‘sweetest’ Moon. Mead is a drink made from water and fermented honey.

Europeans also called this Moon the Rose Moon, NASA said, which is believed to be due to the colour of this Full Moon.

Other lunar eclipses in 2020

Two other lunar eclipses are expected to occur this year, both of which would also be penumbral ones. While the third penumbral eclipse – after the January one and the June one – is scheduled to occur on July 4, the last is likely to be witnessed on November 29.

India will not be able to witness any part of the July lunar eclipse and only some regions in northern and eastern parts of India would be able to see the eclipse occurring in November. Therefore, make sure to catch the penumbral eclipse occurring on June 5, because you might just have to wait for 2021 for the next opportunity.