Strawberry Moon lights up global skylines — These viral images are unreal

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Skywatchers were treated to a rare celestial sight: the Strawberry Moon shone low in the sky with pink-orange hues, best seen from New York, Florida, the UK, Cyprus, and Italy. See the mesmerizing photos of the rare Strawberry Moon casting its glow over landmarks and skylines across the world.

The full moon, also known as the Strawberry Moon rises rises over St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay, England, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)(AP)

Skywatchers across the globe were treated to a rare and radiant lunar spectacle from Tuesday night into early Wednesday — the Strawberry Moon, which glowed with soft pink and orange hues and appeared unusually low in the sky.

Where it was seen best

The moon’s warm tones were especially visible in:

New York City

Florida

United Kingdom

Cyprus

Parts of Italy

Notable images included:

The Strawberry Moon glowing orange as it passed the tip of the Empire State Building
The moon rising behind Torre del Serpe in Otranto, Italy, casting a gentle light

A full moon known as the Strawberry Moon rises behind the steeple of St Paul's Anglican Cathedral and the dome of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta, as seen from Sliema, Malta, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

A rare lunar event

This wasn’t just another Strawberry Moon. It stood out for being exceptionally low-hanging in the sky.

The full moon reached peak brightness at 3:44 a.m. ET on Wednesday, according to the Farmer’s Almanac

The phenomenon was due to a major lunar standstill, a rare astronomical event that happens only once every 18.6 years

People watch the full moon known as the Strawberry Moon rise, as seen from Hampstead Heath, in London, Britain, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra

What is a lunar standstill?

It occurs when the Moon's orbit reaches its maximum tilt relative to Earth

This causes the Moon to rise and set at its most extreme points along the horizon

As a result, the Moon appears lower in the sky than usual in the Northern Hemisphere

A plane flies past the Strawberry Moon as it rises in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Key dates:

Last standstill: 2006
Next standstill: 2043

This year’s Strawberry Moon marked the second year of the current lunar standstill cycle.

Why it's called the Strawberry Moon

Despite its reddish tint, the “Strawberry Moon” is not named for its color.

The strawberry Moon rises in the sky behind the 5th century B.C. Parthenon temple at the ancient Acropolis hill, in Athens, on Tuesday, January 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

The name originates from:

The seasonal ripening of wild strawberries in parts of the Northern Hemisphere

Coined by Algonquin tribes of the northeastern US.

Also used by Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples

The strawberry moon rises behind a watermill at a field in Sotira village near Ayia Napa resort in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)