When can you see the Strawberry Moon over Scotland tonight?

The pink coloured moon is a rare sight.

A rare Strawberry Moon is set to glow above Scotland tonight.

The lunar spectacle usually takes place once in every 20 years and coincides with summer solstice.

The phenomenon, also known as a penumbral eclipse, occurs when the earth, sun and moon are all aligned.

Strawberry Moon which usually appears around the time of summer solstice in June

This means the earth blocks the sun’s light from reaching the moon, casting a shadow over it.

The dramatic reddening of the moon is expected to show this evening at 8.12pm.

While the moon will not be as bright as ripe strawberry, the colour will be deeper the further north you live.

The Moon orbits around the Earth on almost the exact same plane as the Earth orbits around the Sun. That means that when the Sun appears highest in the sky near the summer solstice in June, the full Moon opposite our nearest star is generally at its lowest in the sky.

According to Nasa, the name ‘Strawberry Moon’ dates back to Noth American Algonquin tribes who gave the June moon this name for it shines during a relatively short season for harvesting strawberries in the north-eastern US.

An old European name for this full Moon is the Mead Moon or the Honey Moon.

Some research shows around the end of June honey was ripe and ready to collect from wild hives which inspired the name behind the moon at this time of year.