A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SUNSPOT: Another large sunspot is growing in the sun's northern hemisphere. AR4479 is directly facing Earth and it has a delta-class magnetic field that poses a threat for X-class solar flares. Movies of the active region show it "looking quite frisky." CME impact alerts: SMS Text.
TONIGHT'S FULL MOON IS THE 'STRAWBERRY MOON': There's a full Moon tonight, and it has a special name -- the "Strawberry Moon." Go outside at sunset to see it rising in the southeast.
Above: Last year's Strawberry Moon photographed by Alex Krivenyshev in Jersey City, NJ
The name "Strawberry Moon" comes from Native American culture, especially the Algonquin tribe, who used it to signal the start of June's wild strawberry picking season.
It might even have a strawberry-(ish) color. This is the full Moon closest to the summer solstice, so in the northern hemisphere it will hang lower in the sky than any other full Moon of the year. Shining through lots of atmosphere will give the lunar disk a strong gold/amber/orange tint, especially during the first hour after moonrise. In addition, the Moon illusion will exaggerate its apparent size near the horizon.
Enjoy the Strawberry moonlight!
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