'Strawberry Supermoon' on Thursday will get its own Krispy Kreme doughnut
Krispy Kreme will release a new space-themed doughnut celebrating the June 24 supermoon.
The one-day event will feature a doughnut that has a strawberry theme, in line with June's full moon — what some cultures call the "Strawberry Moon," as it falls during the strawberry harvesting season in the northeastern U.S.
"The super-cool limited-edition treat is made to look like Krispy Kreme's own 'supermoon,' filled with strawberry Kreme, dipped in strawberries and Kreme icing, and topped with graham cracker 'moon dust,'" Krispy Kreme said in a statement.
Related: Moon phases 2021: This year's moon cycles
A supermoon occurs when the full moon is near its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making the natural satellite appear slightly larger than usual in the night sky. The average distance to the moon is 238,000 miles (382,900 kilometers), but its closest approaches and farthest retreats from Earth — called perigee and apogee, respectively – change every lunar orbital period, which is 27 days long. The moon's orbit varies due to various gravitational forces pulling on it, including those of the Earth, sun and planets.
Skywatchers have been lucky in terms of supermoons this year, as, depending on your definition, this is the fourth one in a row, following close lunar approaches in March, April, and May. (And the May supermoon coincided with a lunar eclipse.)
The strawberry supermoon doughnut is Krispy Kreme's latest addition in a line of space-themed treats. Another lunar-themed doughnut debuted in 2019 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Other prominent campaigns included a Mars doughnut to celebrate the landing of NASA's Perseverance rover in February this year and an eclipse doughnut marking the August 2017 total solar eclipse that crossed the continental United States.
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Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace