Cover Strawberry Moon (Photo: Pexels / Bruno Scramgnon)
Strawberry Moon (Photo: Pexels / Bruno Scramgnon)
1 / 1
Learn more about the Strawberry Moon in June 2025. This comprehensive guide covers its meaning and unique characteristics
June’s full moon, also known as the Strawberry Moon, is a celestial spectacle; a profound marker of seasonal shifts, imbued with centuries of cultural significance and, this year, an astronomical rarity. As we observe the lowest full moon in nearly two decades, its glow against the twilight sky offers a reminder of our planet’s intricate dance with its cosmic neighbours.
In case you missed it: When astronomy meets food: How analogue astronaut Kristine Jane Atienza is pioneering nutrition in space
Here is everything you need to know about the Strawberry Moon:
The name has nothing to do with its colour
Despite its alluring name, the Strawberry Moon typically doesn’t appear in solid pink or red. The moniker originates from Algonquin and other Native American tribes, who traditionally used the lunar cycle to track seasonal events. June’s full moon coincided with the peak ripening and harvesting season for wild strawberries in northeastern North America, hence the name. Other historical European names include the “Mead Moon” or “Honey Moon”, often associated with the brewing of mead and the tradition of June weddings.
This year’s Strawberry Moon is exceptionally low
The June 2025 Strawberry Moon is particularly notable for its unusually low trajectory across the Northern Hemisphere’s night sky. This phenomenon is a consequence of a “major lunar standstill” or “lunistice”, an 18.6-year cycle where the Moon’s orbital alignment reaches its maximum declination relative to the Earth’s equator. This means the Moon rises and sets at its most extreme northern and southern points on the horizon, making it appear exceptionally low in the sky for those in the Northern Hemisphere and exceptionally high in the Southern Hemisphere. This specific low-lying full moon won’t be seen again until 2043.
More from Tatler: Set sail: scenic boat rides around the world for your travel bucket list
It’s a ‘Mini-Moon’
Adding to its uniqueness, the Strawberry Moon of 2025 is also a “mini-moon”. This term signifies that the Moon is at its farthest point from Earth in its elliptical orbit, known as apogee. As a result, it will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than an average full moon, a stark contrast to the more widely publicised “supermoons” where the Moon is at its perigee (closest point to Earth).
The illusion of grandeur: why it appears large
Even though it’s a mini-moon, the Strawberry Moon, especially when low on the horizon, might appear unusually large to the observer. This is due to a well-known psychological phenomenon called the “Moon illusion”. While the precise explanation remains elusive, it’s believed to be a trick of perspective, where our brains compare the Moon to terrestrial objects on the horizon, making it seem magnified.
Its hue can be influenced by our atmosphere
While not inherently strawberry-coloured, a low-hanging full moon can sometimes take on a golden-orange or even rusty-reddish hue. This is a result of the Earth’s atmosphere. When the Moon is close to the horizon, its light must travel through a greater amount of our atmosphere, which scatters shorter, bluer wavelengths of light, allowing the warmer, redder tones to dominate our view.
Above Strawberry Moon (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Strawberry Moon (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
1 / 1
A moment for reflection and reconnection
Beyond its scientific and historical context, the Strawberry Moon continues to hold cultural weight for many. For indigenous communities, it was a practical marker for sustenance and communal gathering. Today, it serves as an invitation to pause, look skyward and reconnect with nature’s rhythms. It’s a time for reflection on the passage of seasons, and for some, it carries astrological significance, symbolising love, purity and a desire for change, particularly as it often falls in the zodiac sign of Sagittarius.
How to observe it
The Strawberry Moon will look full and radiant from the evening of June 10 through June 11, 2025. To best witness it, seek out an open area with minimal light pollution and a clear view of the horizon, preferably to the southeast. Being on a hilltop or outside city limits can significantly enhance your viewing experience, free from urban obstructions. While no special equipment is needed, a pair of binoculars can offer a more detailed look at the lunar surface. Checking local moonrise and moonset times through reputable astronomical sources or dedicated apps will ensure you do not miss its ascent.
NOW READ
Filipino-Americans Nicole Scherzinger, Darren Criss and Marco Paguia win big at the 2025 Tony Awards
‘Ballerina’ is a feisty and rough-edged extension of the beautifully brutal John Wick universe
What began as a disguise became Vice Ganda’s most authentic self
Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is a digital editor at Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
