A ne pas manquer : La super-lune des fraises

Concept d’artiste d’une superlune “aux fraises”.

La prochaine pleine lune est la superlune des fraises ; la lune de l’hydromel, du miel ou de la rose ; la lune des fleurs, de la chaleur, du binage ou de la plantation ; Vat Purnima ; Poson Poya ; et la lune du LRO.

De nombreuses cultures remontant loin dans l’histoire ont des noms différents pour les douze pleines lunes de l’année. Souvent, les noms des pleines lunes sont littéralement colorés, comme le nom “Strawberry Supermoon”, où il est facile d’imaginer quelque chose comme dans le concept de l’artiste ci-dessus.

Cependant, les noms ne sont généralement pas basés sur une couleur, mais plutôt sur une activité qui a lieu à cette période de l’année. Par exemple, le nom “Lune des fraises” vient des tribus amérindiennes algonquines qui vivaient dans ce qui est aujourd’hui le nord-est des États-Unis et de la saison relativement courte pour la récolte des fraises dans la région.

Cette lune aux fraises est un événement spécial car il ne s’agit pas d’une pleine lune ordinaire, mais d’une super lune. Cela se produit lorsque l’orbite de la lune est la plus proche de la Terre, ce qui nous donne une pleine lune plus grande et plus brillante.

La prochaine pleine lune aura lieu mardi matin, le 14 juin 2022, et apparaîtra en face du Soleil en longitude terrestre à 7 h 52 EDT. Ce sera tard dans la nuit de lundi à mardi pour le fuseau horaire de la ligne internationale de changement de date ouest, mardi pour la plupart des fuseaux horaires de la Terre, et mercredi matin du fuseau horaire standard de Chatham vers l’est à la ligne internationale de changement de date. La Lune apparaîtra pleine pendant environ trois jours centrés sur ce moment, de dimanche soir à mercredi matin.

On voit la Lune se lever derrière la fusée Space Launch System (SLS) de la NASA, avec le vaisseau spatial Orion à bord, au sommet d’un lanceur mobile, alors qu’elle roule vers le complexe de lancement 39B pour la première fois, le jeudi 17 mars 2022, au Centre spatial Kennedy de la NASA en Floride. Crédit : NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Une lune, plusieurs noms

Dans les années 1930, le Maine Farmer’s Almanac a commencé à publier les noms amérindiens des pleines lunes. Selon cet Almanach, les tribus algonquines de ce qui est aujourd’hui le nord-est des États-Unis l’appelaient la lune des fraises. Le nom vient de la saison relativement courte pour la récolte des fraises dans la région.

Un ancien nom européen pour cette pleine lune est la lune de l’hydromel ou du miel. L’hydromel est une boisson créée par la fermentation de miel mélangé à de l’eau et parfois à des fruits, des épices, des céréales ou du houblon. Dans certains pays, l’hydromel est également appelé vin de miel (bien que dans d’autres, le vin de miel soit fabriqué différemment). Certains écrits suggèrent qu’aux alentours de la fin juin, le miel était prêt à être récolté, ce qui en faisait la Lune la plus “douce”. Le mot “lune de miel” remonte au moins aux années 1500 en Europe. La tradition d’appeler le premier mois de mariage la “lune de miel” peut être liée à cette pleine lune en raison de la coutume de se marier en juin ou parce que la “lune de miel” est la lune la plus “douce” de l’année. Il ne semble pas y avoir de preuve pour soutenir une théorie du 19ème siècle selon laquelle le mot est entré dans la langue anglaise à partir de la coutume d’offrir de l’hydromel aux jeunes mariés pour leur premier mois de mariage.

Un autre nom européen pour cette pleine lune est la Lune Rose. Certaines sources indiquent que le nom “Lune rose” provient des roses qui fleurissent à cette époque de l’année. D’autres indiquent que le nom vient de la couleur de la pleine lune. L’orbite de la Lune autour de la Terre est presque dans le même plan que l’orbite de la Terre autour du Soleil (seulement environ 5 degrés de différence). Au solstice d’été, le Soleil apparaît le plus haut dans le ciel pour l’année. Les pleines lunes sont à l’opposé du Soleil, donc une pleine lune près du solstice d’été sera basse dans le ciel. En particulier pour les latitudes élevées de l’Europe, lorsque la pleine lune est basse, elle traverse davantage d’atmosphère, ce qui lui donne une couleur rougeâtre (pour les mêmes raisons que les levers et couchers de soleil sont rouges). Pour la région de Washington, D.C., à 1 h 56 EDT le matin du 15 juin 2022, la pleine lune à son maximum atteindra seulement 23,3 degrés au-dessus de l’horizon sud, soit la pleine lune la plus basse de l’année.

D’autres noms saisonniers pour cette pleine lune que j’ai trouvés mentionnés dans diverses sources (parfois avec des informations contradictoires quant à leur origine européenne ou amérindienne) sont la lune des fleurs, la lune chaude, la lune du binage et la lune de la plantation.

Pour les hindous, il s’agit de Vat Purnima. Pendant les trois jours de cette pleine lune, les femmes mariées montrent leur amour…pour leurs maris en nouant un fil cérémoniel autour d’un banian. La célébration est basée sur la légende de Savitri et Satyavan.

Pour les bouddhistes, c’est Poson Poya. La fête de Poson au Sri Lanka célèbre l’introduction du bouddhisme en 236 avant Jésus-Christ.

Une autre tribu a également donné un nom à cette pleine lune. Cette tribu est aujourd’hui dispersée mais vit principalement dans la région médio-atlantique des États-Unis. La langue de cette tribu est principalement l’anglais, mais avec une bonne dose d’acronymes, de termes scientifiques et techniques obscurs et de phrases hawaïennes (joyeusement apportées par l’ancien chef de projet adjoint). Composée de personnes de tous horizons, dont beaucoup ont ensuite rejoint d’autres tribus, cette tribu s’est consacrée à l’étude de la Lune. Cette tribu appelle la pleine lune de juin la Lune LRO, en l’honneur du vaisseau spatial qu’elle a lancé vers la Lune le 18 juin 2009. Le Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter de la NASA est toujours en orbite autour de la Lune et fournit des informations sur notre voisin céleste le plus proche, dont certaines nous aident à comprendre notre propre planète.

La super-lune aux fraises

Ce sera une super-lune. Le terme ” superlune ” a été inventé par l’astrologue Richard Nolle en 1979 et désigne une nouvelle ou une pleine lune qui se produit lorsque la Lune est à 90 % de son périgée, c’est-à-dire de son approche la plus proche de la Terre. Puisque nous ne pouvons pas voir une nouvelle lune (sauf lorsqu’elle passe devant le Soleil), ce qui a attiré l’attention du public au cours des dernières décennies, ce sont les pleines superlunes, car ce sont les plus grosses et les plus brillantes de l’année. Comme le périgée varie avec chaque orbite, différentes publications utilisent différents seuils pour décider quelles pleines lunes sont qualifiées de superlunes, mais toutes s’accordent à dire qu’en 2022, les pleines lunes de juin et de juillet seront toutes deux qualifiées.

La Lune et les calendriers

Dans de nombreux calendriers lunaires et luni-solaires traditionnels, les pleines lunes tombent vers le milieu des mois lunaires. Cette pleine lune se trouve au milieu du cinquième mois du calendrier chinois, de Sivan dans le calendrier hébraïque et de Dhu al-Qadah dans le calendrier islamique (l’un des quatre mois sacrés durant lesquels la guerre est interdite).

Comme d’habitude, le port de vêtements célestes est encouragé en l’honneur de la pleine lune.

Voici un résumé des événements célestes d’ici la pleine Lune suivante (avec les heures et les angles basés sur l’emplacement de ;” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{” attribute=””>NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.):

As spring ends and summer begins, the daily periods of sunlight reach their longest on the solstice and begin shortening again. The solar days (as measured, for example, from solar noon to solar noon on a sundial) are longer than 24 hours near the solstices, so the earliest sunrises of the year occur before the summer solstice and the latest sunsets of the year occur after the solstice.

This year, Monday and Tuesday, June 13 and 14, 2022, are tied for the earliest sunrises of the year, with sunrise at 5:42:11 a.m. EDT and morning twilight starting at 4:30 a.m. On Tuesday, June 14 (the day of the full moon), morning twilight will begin at 4:30 a.m., sunrise will be one of these earliest sunrises at 5:42 a.m., solar noon will be at 1:08:24 p.m. when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 74.41 degrees, sunset will be at 8:35 p.m., and evening twilight will end at 9:47 p.m.

The summer solstice will be on Tuesday morning, June 21, at 5:13 a.m. On the day of the solstice, morning twilight will begin at 4:31 a.m., sunrise will be at 5:43 a.m., solar noon will be at 1:09:49 p.m. when the Sun reaches its highest for the year at 74.56 degrees, sunset will be at 8:37 p.m. (making this the longest period from sunrise to sunset, 14 hours, 53 minutes, 42.1 seconds), and evening twilight will end at 9:49 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, June 27 and 28, are tied for the latest sunsets of the year, with sunset at 8:37:29 p.m. By Wednesday, July 13 (the day of the full moon after next), morning twilight will begin at 4:43 a.m., sunrise will be at 5:54 a.m., solar noon will be at 1:13:53 p.m. when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 72.87 degrees, sunset will be at 8:34 p.m., and evening twilight will end at 9:44 p.m.

Evening Sky Highlights

On the evening of Tuesday, June 14, 2022, (the day of the full moon) as evening twilight ends at 9:47 p.m. EDT, the rising full moon will appear 3 degrees above the southeastern horizon. The bright star appearing closest to overhead will be Arcturus at 70 degrees above the southern horizon. Arcturus, the 4th brightest star in our night sky, is about 37 light-years from Earth and nearly the same mass as our Sun, but older. Arcturus has used up its core hydrogen and become a red giant, swelling to about 25 times its previous size and shining about 170 times brighter than the Sun. Our Sun is about halfway through this lifecycle and is expected to become a red giant in about 5 billion years.

As the lunar cycle progresses the background of stars will appear to shift westward each evening (although it is actually the Earth that is moving around the Sun toward the East). The waxing Moon will pass near the bright stars Pollux on June 30, Regulus on July 2 and 3, Spica on July 7, and Antares on July 10, 2022.

By the evening of Wednesday, July 13, 2022, as evening twilight ends (at 9:44 p.m. EDT), the full moon will appear 5 degrees above the southeastern horizon. Two bright stars will be tied for closest to overhead, with Vega 60 degrees above the east-northeastern horizon and Arcturus 59 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon. Vega, the 5th brightest star in our night sky, is about 25 light-years from Earth. Vega is about twice the mass of our Sun but shines 40 times brighter.

Morning Sky Highlights

On the morning of Tuesday, June 14, 2022, (the day of the full moon), as morning twilight begins (at 4:30 a.m. EDT), four of the five visible planets will appear in a line above the east-southeastern horizon, with Saturn to the upper right at 35 degrees above the south-southeastern horizon, Jupiter at 29 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon, Mars at 25 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon, and Venus to the lower left at 6 degrees above the east-northeastern horizon. About 6 minutes after morning twilight begins, Mercury will rise above the east-southeastern horizon, appearing nearly as bright as Mars and Saturn. With Mercury joining the lineup of planets to the lower left of Venus, we will be able to see all six of the visible planets at the same time, with all but the Earth (which we can see all the time) lined up from the lower left to upper right in order of their distance from the Sun. The full moon will appear 8 degrees above the southwestern horizon.

The “Summer Triangle” will be overhead, with the bright star Deneb appearing closest to overhead at 83 degrees above the north-northwestern horizon. Deneb is about 20 times more massive than our Sun but has used up its hydrogen and expanded into a blue-white supergiant with a diameter about 200 times that of our Sun. If Deneb were in the same place as our Sun, it would extend to about the orbit of the Earth. Deneb is about 2,600 light-years from Earth and is the 19th brightest star in our night sky.

As the lunar cycle progresses, the background of stars along with Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars will appear to shift westward each morning, although Mars will appear to shift more slowly. Venus will appear to shift the opposite way, closer to the eastern horizon each morning. For a few days around June 25 the planet Mercury will appear slightly above the east-northeastern horizon at the time morning twilight begins, so mornings in late June should be a good time to look for the visible planets in the sky lined up in order of their distance from the Sun. The waning Moon will pass near the planets Saturn on June 18, Jupiter on June 21, Mars on June 22 and 23, Venus on June 26, and Mercury on June 27, 2022.

By the morning of Wednesday, July 13, 2022, (the day of the full moon after next), as morning twilight begins (at 4:43 a.m. EDT), four of the five visible planets will appear in a line across the sky, with Saturn to the upper right at 34 degrees above the south-southwestern horizon, Jupiter at 48 degrees above the southeastern horizon, Mars at 39 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon, and Venus to the lower left at 7 degrees above the east-northeastern horizon. Mercury will no longer be visible in the glow of dawn, as it will rise less than 30 minutes before sunrise. The full moon will appear 4 degrees above the southwestern horizon. Deneb will still be the bright star appearing closest to overhead at 64 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon.

Detailed Daily Guide

Here is a more detailed, day-by-day listing of celestial events between now and the full moon after next. The times and angles are based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and some of these details may differ for your location.

June 9-10

On Thursday night into early Friday morning, June 9 to 10, 2022, the bright star Spica will appear about 7 degrees to the lower left of the waxing gibbous moon. The Moon will appear about 45 degrees above the south-southwestern horizon as evening twilight ends (at 9:44 p.m. EDT). Spica will set first below the west-southwestern horizon about 5 hours later (on Friday morning at 2:46 a.m.).

June 12-13

On Sunday night into Monday morning, June 12 to 13, 2022, the bright star Antares will appear about 8 degrees to the lower left of the nearly full waxing gibbous moon. The Moon will appear about 23 degrees above the south-southeastern horizon as evening twilight ends (at 9:46 p.m. EDT). The Moon will reach its highest in the sky for the night 2 hours later at 11:46 p.m. By the time morning twilight begins Monday morning at 4:30 a.m., Antares will appear to the left of the Moon and the pair will be about 10 minutes from setting on the west-southwestern horizon. By Monday evening, as evening twilight ends, the Moon will have shifted to the other side of Antares. Antares will appear 8 degrees to the upper right of the Moon and the pair will separate as Monday night progresses.

June 13-14

For the Washington, D.C. area (and similar latitudes), the mornings of Monday and Tuesday, June 13 and 14, 2022, are tied for the earliest sunrise of the year. For the location of NASA Headquarters, morning twilight will start at 4:30 a.m. EDT and sunrise will be at 5:42:11 a.m. While the summer solstice is the day of the year with the longest period of daylight, the solar days near the solstice are longer than 24 hours, so the earliest sunrises of the year occur before and the latest sunsets occur after the summer solstice.

June 14: Next Full Moon

As mentioned above, the next full moon will be Tuesday morning, June 14, 2022, at 7:52 a.m. EDT. Less than 12 hours later, at 7:24 p.m., the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit. This full moon is near enough to perigee to be a supermoon.

With the Moon appearing full from Sunday night through Wednesday morning, the full moon on Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, June 14 to 15, 2022, will be the lowest full moon of the year, reaching only 23.3 degrees above the horizon Wednesday morning at 1:56 a.m. EDT.

June 16

Thursday morning, June 16, 2022, will be when the planet Mercury reaches its greatest angular separation from the Sun as seen from the Earth for this apparition (called greatest elongation), appearing half-lit through a large enough telescope. Because the angle of the line between the Sun and Mercury and the horizon changes with the seasons, the date when Mercury and the Sun appear farthest apart as seen from the Earth is not the same as when Mercury appears highest above the horizon before sunrise, which occurs 9 mornings later on June 25.

Our 24-hour day is based on the average length of a day throughout the year, but the actual length of a solar day varies (as measured for example from solar noon to solar noon) throughout the year. The period from solar noon on Saturday, June 18 to solar noon on Sunday, June 19, 2022, will be the longest solar day of this half of the year, a little over 13 seconds longer than 24 hours. This will not be the longest solar day of the year, as the solar days from November 17, 2022, to January 25, 2023, will be longer.

June 18

On Saturday morning, June 18, 2022, the planet Saturn will appear about 8 degrees to the upper left of the waning gibbous moon. The Moon will rise above the east-southeastern horizon around midnight (12:04 a.m. EDT) and morning twilight will begin around 4:30 a.m.

June 20

Monday, June 20, 2022, the waning Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its last quarter at 11:11 p.m. EDT when the Moon will be below the horizon.

June 21: Summer Solstice

On Tuesday morning, June 21, 2022, the bright planet Jupiter will appear about 6 degrees to the upper left of the waning half Moon. The Moon will rise above the eastern horizon after midnight at 1:32 a.m. EDT, and morning twilight will begin around 4:30 a.m.

Tuesday at 5:13 a.m. EDT will be the summer solstice, the astronomical end of spring, and the beginning of summer. On the day of the solstice, morning twilight will begin at 4:31 a.m., sunrise will be at 5:43 a.m., solar noon will be at 1:09:49 p.m. when the Sun will reach its highest for the year at 74.56 degrees, sunset will be at 8:37 p.m. (making this the longest period from sunrise to sunset, 14 hours, 53 minutes, 42.1 seconds), and evening twilight will end at 9:49 p.m.

June 22

Wednesday morning, June 22, 2022, the waning crescent moon will appear between the planets Jupiter and Mars. Mars will rise last above the eastern horizon well after midnight at 1:56 a.m. EDT, and the Moon will be 29 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon as morning twilight begins at 4:31 a.m.

June 23

On Thursday morning, June 23, 2022, the planet Mars will appear about 6 degrees to the upper right of the waning crescent Moon. The Moon will rise above the eastern horizon well after midnight at 2:19 a.m. EDT, and it will be 24 degrees above the eastern horizon as morning twilight begins at 4:31 a.m.

June 25

As twilight begins Saturday morning, June 25, 2022, the planet Mercury will barely clear the east-northeastern horizon, but this will be its highest for this apparition. Since Mercury will be bright enough to be visible as it rises even after morning twilight begins, mornings in late June should be a good time to look for all five of the visible planets lined up in the sky in order of their distance from the Sun (with one more planet visible beneath your feet).

June 16

On Sunday morning, June 26, 2022, the bright planet Venus will appear about 5 degrees to the right of the thin, waning crescent moon. Venus will rise above the east-northeastern horizon at 3:50 a.m. EDT, less than an hour before morning twilight begins, and it will be 7 degrees above the horizon when morning twilight begins at 4:32 a.m.

June 27

Monday morning, June 27, 2022, the planet Mercury will rise above the east-northeastern horizon about 4 degrees to the lower right of the thin, waning crescent Moon, just as morning twilight begins at 4:31 a.m. EDT. You might be able to see this pair low on the horizon before the sky becomes too bright with the dawn.

For the Washington, D.C .area and similar latitudes, Monday and Tuesday, June 27 and 28, 2022, are tied for the latest sunset of the year, with sunset at 8:37:29 p.m. EDT.

June 28

Tuesday evening, June 28, 2022, at 10:52 p.m. EDT, will be the new moon, when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from the Earth.

June 29

Wednesday morning, June 29, 2022, at 2:09 a.m. EDT, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit.

The day of, or the day after, the new moon marks the start of the new month for most lunisolar calendars. The sixth month of the Chinese calendar starts on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 (at midnight in China’s time zone, which is 12 hours ahead of EDT). Sundown on Wednesday, June 29, marks the start of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar.

In the Islamic lunar calendar, the months traditionally start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon. Many Muslim communities now follow the Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia, which uses astronomical calculations to start months in a more predictable way. Using this calendar, sundown on Wednesday evening, June 29, 2022, will probably mark the beginning of Dhu al-Hijjah, although this is one of four months for which the calendar dates are often adjusted by the religious authorities of Saudi Arabia after actual sightings of the lunar crescent. Dhu al-Hijjah is the twelfth and final month of the Islamic year. It is one of the four sacred months during which fighting is forbidden. Dhu al-Hijjah is the month of the Hajj and the Festival of the Sacrifice. Making the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

June 30

On Thursday evening, June 30, 2022, as twilight ends t 9:49 p.m. EDT, you might be able to see the bright star Pollux about 8 degrees to the right of the thin, waxing crescent Moon, which will be 2 degrees above the northwestern horizon, setting less than 15 minutes later.

July 2

On Saturday evening, July 2, 2022, the bright star Regulus will appear about 8 degrees to the left of the thin, waxing crescent moon. The Moon will be 16 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon as evening twilight ends at 9:49 p.m. EDT, and Regulus will set first less than 1.5 hours later at 11:15 p.m.

July 3

On Sunday evening, July 3, 2022, the bright star Regulus will appear about 8 degrees to the lower right of the thin, waxing crescent Moon. The Moon will be 22 degrees above the western horizon as evening twilight ends at 9:49 p.m. EDT, and Regulus will set first less than 1.5 hours later at 11:11 p.m.

July 4: Independence Day

Monday morning, July 4, 2022, at 3:10 a.m. EDT, the Earth will be at aphelion, its farthest away from the Sun in its orbit, 3.4% farther away than it was at perihelion in early January. Since the intensity of light changes as the square of the distance, sunlight reaching the Earth at aphelion is about 6.5% less bright than sunlight reaching the Earth at perihelion.

July 6

On Wednesday, July 6, 2022, the Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 10:14 p.m. EDT (when the Moon will be 29 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon).

July 7-8

On Thursday evening into early Friday morning, July 7 to 8, 2022, the bright star Spica will appear about 5 degrees to the lower right of the waxing gibbous moon. The Moon will be 34 degrees above the southwestern horizon as evening twilight ends at 9:47 p.m. EDT, and Spica will set first below the west-southwestern horizon after midnight at 12:56 a.m.

July 10-11

On Sunday evening into Monday morning, July 10 to 11, 2022, the bright star Antares will appear about 4 degrees to the lower right of the waxing gibbous moon. The Moon will be 26 degrees above the east-northeastern horizon as evening twilight ends at 9:46 p.m. EDT, will reach its highest in the sky for the night about 40 minutes later at 10:28 p.m., and Antares will set first below the west-southwestern horizon a little more than 4 hours after that at 2:51 a.m.

Monday morning, July 11, 2022, is likely the last morning that Mercury might be visible in the glow of dawn for this apparition, as it will rise above the east-northeastern horizon at 5:20 a.m. EDT, just 32 minutes before sunrise at 5:52 a.m.

July 13: The Full Moon After Next

Wednesday morning, July 13, 2022, at 5:06 a.m. EDT, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit.

The full moon after next will be Wednesday afternoon, July 13, 2022, at 2:38 p.m. EDT. Since this is less than 10 hours after perigee, this too will be a supermoon. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from early Tuesday morning through early Friday morning.