You might want to spend some time outside tonight — not only is it the longest day of the year, but you could also spot a very rare sight.
Monday, June 20, will be the first time in decades the summer solstice happens
You might want to spend some time outside tonight — not only is it the longest day of the year, but you could also spot a very rare sight.
Monday, June 20, will be the first time in decades the summer solstice happens on the same day as a full moon, according to Science Alert.
Some indigenous peoples called the June full moon the "strawberry moon" because it indicated the start of strawberry season.
But don't expect to see a reddish moon. Instead, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac's Bob Berman, it will likely be a amber colour, as the moon is hanging lower in the sky and its light will come through thicker, more humid air.
“Having a full moon land smack on the solstice is a truly rare event,” said Berman.
“We probably won’t push people off pyramids like the Mayans did, but Slooh will very much celebrate this extraordinary day of light with fascinating factoids and amazing live telescope feeds.”
The last time this event happened depends on where you live.
Those in Atlantic Canada will experience it again on June 20, 2054, but the rest of the country won't see it until the 22nd century, according to The Weather Network.
The summer solstice doesn't perfectly line up with the time the moon is at its fullest, according to CBC News.
The earth's northern axis is angled most directly to the sun at about 6:34 p.m. E.T., and the moon was at its biggest at 7:02 a.m. E.T., when it had already set.
However, Paul Mortfield, the chair of the David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, Ont., told CBC News that most people won't notice.
"For most people who will go out and look with their eyes, they'll see a full moon," he said.
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