summer solstice full moon

June 20th was the longest day of the year, the summer solstice. The summer solstice hasn't happened in decades. Technically, the summer solstice isn't the entire day. The moment when the earth's northern axis of rotation is most tilted toward the sun. This year it happened at 6:34p.m ET on June 20.

The moon was at its fullest at 7:02a.m ET, putting the two events on the same day. The last time it happened for those in western and central Canada was in 1986, 30 years ago. Atlantic Canada hasn't had it in 1967. That's because the 1986 full moon occurred at 11:42p.m. on June 21 - the day of the solstice - the Toronto, but 12:42a.m. The next day in Halifax, the day after the solstice.

The full moon in June is often called the "strawberry moon". A name believed to originate with Algonquin tribes who used it to mark the start of strawberry season.

The moon becomes full every 29.5 days, or 12 to 13 times a year, but because the moon's cycle doesn't divide evenly into the number of days in our calendar year, the full moon(s) for a given month is shifted about 11 or 12 days per year. It can happen on June 20, 21 or 22. That's because the summer solstice is technically the moment when the earth's northern axis of rotation is most tilted toward the sun, and that happens every 365 1/4 days, and our calendar is just 365 days (with a leap year every four years).

If you would like to read more click the link below

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/technology/summer-solstice-full-moon-1.3640759