For one night, it was the Summer of Love all over again. Astronomically speaking.
For the first time since June 1967, two astronomical phenomena occurred at the same time. Monday evening, a full "strawberry" moon shone in the night sky during the summer solstice — the longest day of the year.
EarthSky.org said a full moon on a summer solstice is a rare event, and another one is not likely to come around until June 21, 2062.
Why is it called a strawberry moon? The Old Farmer's Almanac says the Algonquin tribe of indigenous Americans called the June full moon by that name because it occurred around the time the strawberries were being picked.
The moon reached its fullness Monday morning, and the actual evening solstice took place at 6:34 p.m. Eastern time.
Two hours after that, the moon rose at 8:41 p.m. Eastern time, and lucky viewers saw an event that occurs only once every half-century.
Read the full article in EarthSky.