The Summer Solstice and Strawberry Moon are on the Way, Louisiana

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Calling all Louisiana stargazers! Not only is the Summer Solstice coming up, but you'll also be able to see the Strawberry Moon, too!

What is the summer solstice?

In short, it's the longest day of the year and the official kickoff to summer. But Wikipedia gets a little more detailed:

The summer solstice occurs when the tilt of a planet's semi-axis, in either northern or southern hemispheres, is most inclined toward the star that it orbits.

The summer solstice occurs during a hemisphere's summer. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs some time between June 20 and June 22 in the northern hemisphere^[2][3] and between December 20 and December 23 each year in the southern hemisphere.^[4] The same dates in the opposite hemisphere are referred to as the winter solstice.

If I understand correctly, every day after Thursday, June 20, 2024, at 3:50 PM, this year's summer solstice, until we reach the winter solstice on Saturday, December 21, 2024, at 3:19 AM, will get progressively shorter. Isn't it amazing that hundreds of years ago, before we had calculators and telescopes and computers, people were able to track this kind of information? Mind blown! Of course, both the summer and winter solstices have long been associated with pagan and Wiccan practices. I imagine women in white gowns with flower crowns in their hair dancing barefoot in the woods chanting when I think of the summer solstice. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about that:

 Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied among cultures, but most recognize the event in some way with holidays, festivals, and rituals around that time with themes of religion or fertility.^[5]

Of course, the summer solstice is about more than a super long, hot day. A lot of people look at it as a spiritual day. Me? I just pray the power stays on!

When can we see the Strawberry Moon?

June 2024's full moon otherwise known as the 'Strawberry Moon' will occur on June 21 at 8:08 PM CST. June's full moon is referred to as the 'Strawberry Moon' because it occurs during the time of year when wild strawberries ripen and it comes to us from the Algonquian.