Strawberry Moon 2025: A Rare Celestial Show You Won’t Want to Miss
Hey, if you’re a skywatcher—or even just someone who loves a good view—you’ll want to look up this week. Something truly rare is happening. On the night of June 10th going into the early hours of June 11th, we’ll be treated to the stunning sight of the Strawberry Moon . But this isn’t just any full moon. This one will be the lowest it’s been in our skies since 2006, and thanks to a rare lunar event, it might not look like this again until 2043. So yeah, this is a big deal.
First off, what even is a Strawberry Moon? Despite the name, no, the Moon isn’t going to turn into a giant floating berry. The term comes from Native American traditions—particularly among tribes in the northeastern U.S.—where each full moon had a name to mark seasonal changes. The Strawberry Moon signaled the time to harvest wild strawberries. It’s poetic, really—nature’s own clock keeping us in sync with the earth.
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Now here’s where things get even more interesting. This particular Strawberry Moon will be dramatically low on the horizon, especially in the northern hemisphere. Why? It’s all due to what astronomers call a major lunar standstill . This happens only once every 18.6 years, when the Moon reaches the extremes of its orbit around Earth. During this time, the Moon’s rising and setting points swing farther north and south than usual, and when there’s a full Moon, it appears unusually low—or high—in the sky. This year’s standstill reached its peak in January, but its effects are still very visible, and this week’s Moon is the clearest example of that.
If you’re in the UK or most parts of North America, Tuesday night is your best shot at seeing it. Try catching it just after moonrise on the eastern horizon, or early Wednesday morning as it sets in the west. It’ll look huge, thanks to what’s called the Moon Illusion —a trick of our minds that makes the low Moon seem larger when it’s near the horizon.
And there’s more: because the Moon will be hanging so low, its light has to travel through more of Earth’s atmosphere. That scatters the shorter blue wavelengths and lets the longer red and orange ones through—just like at sunset. Add in the smoke from recent wildfires, and we might see the Moon glow with a reddish or even pink tint. So while the Strawberry Moon name doesn’t come from its color, it might actually look strawberry-colored this time around.
So whether you’re a serious stargazer or just want a moment of cosmic wonder, step outside this week. Maybe bring a pair of binoculars, or even better, a telescope. But honestly? Just using your eyes and pausing to take it in will do the trick. Because the next time we see the Moon quite like this won’t be for another 18 years.
Don’t miss it.
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