The last time it happened was back in 2006. Miss it in 2025, and your next chance won\u2019t come around until 2043. So grab your camera, clear your schedule and maybe practice saying \u201cwow\u201d dramatically, because the Moon is about to put on a serious show.<\/p>\n
First, let\u2019s start with the basics. Every June we get a \u201cStrawberry Moon\u201d, named not for its color, but for its timing, when wild strawberries ripen. But in 2025, this full Moon is also aligned with a cosmic event that\u2019s about as rare as a unicorn moonwalking across the sky: a Major Lunar Standstill<\/em>.<\/p>\n So what exactly is<\/em> a Major Lunar Standstill? Let\u2019s get a bit nerdy. The Moon\u2019s orbit is tilted by about 5.1 degrees compared to Earth\u2019s orbit around the Sun. That tilt, plus Earth\u2019s own 23.5 degree lean, means the Moon doesn\u2019t rise and set in the exact same spot every day. Over time, its path across the sky wobbles like a slowly tipping spinning top. From this you get a lunar drift that makes the Moon\u2019s position in the sky vary across the month and year. Sometimes it rises farther north, sometimes farther south. Sometimes it takes a high arc across the sky and sometimes it drags its heels just above the horizon, like a teenager being asked to mow the lawn.<\/p>\n Now here\u2019s where it gets interesting: over an 18.6-year cycle, the extremes of the Moon\u2019s rising and setting points shift back and forth. The biggest swing, the major lunar standstill, is when the Moon reaches its furthest north and south positions on the horizon. In practical terms, it rises and sets in the most extreme parts of the sky and in June 2025, it will be at its lowest point in that cycle when the full moon rises.<\/p>\n When the Moon sits low on the horizon, our brains play a neat little trick called the Moon Illusion. Compared to objects like trees, houses or mountains on the horizon, the Moon appears enormous. It\u2019s not actually bigger, just optically pumped up.<\/p>\n Combine that with the Strawberry Moon\u2019s already gorgeous golden glow as it rises in June twilight and you\u2019ve got yourself a celestial spectacle worth cancelling your Netflix night over.<\/p>\n And the next one? You\u2019ll be older. Possibly wiser. This kind of extreme Moon won\u2019t come back until 2043. By then, who knows where you\u2019ll be? Maybe retired. Maybe with grandkids. Maybe living on the Moon (okay, maybe not). But one thing\u2019s for sure: you won\u2019t get another chance like this for almost two decades.<\/p>\n So this June, as the Moon rises low and large, take a moment to just stare. Share it with a friend. Snap a picture. Say something poetic. Or just whisper, \u201cGood heavens, that\u2019s a big Moon.\u201d<\/p>\n Because it really, truly will be.<\/p>\n So, on June 10th<\/sup> (or whenever it\u2019s peaking in your local time zone), find a spot with an unobstructed view of the horizon. Pack a picnic and prepare to witness a truly exceptional Strawberry Moon, a rare celestial ballet that\u2019s putting on its lowest, largest performance in nearly twenty years. Don\u2019t miss the Moon\u2019s big \u201climbo\u201d moment!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Ballad of the Strawberry Moon<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, rise up slow, sweet lunar tune, You skim the hills with glowing grace, No strawberry fields up in the sky, The owls all hoot, the coyotes croon, A lunar standstill, so they say, No spaceship ride, no high balloon, Every June the full moon rises over fields and forests and the world collectively swoons over the \u201cStrawberry Moon\u201d, a name that dates back to Algonquin tribes, who marked the ripening of wild strawberries with this particular lunar cycle. Normally, … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/talesofmanythings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-09-SM-2-1024x754.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nYou berry-blushed and bashful Moon,
\nA low-hung lamp on twilight\u2019s thread,
\nWith cheeks of pink and dreams of red.<\/p>\n
\nA ribbon tied \u2018round evening\u2019s face.
\nThe fireflies hum, the crickets swoon,
\nIt\u2019s story time beneath the Moon.<\/p>\n
\nYet there you hang, so round and shy.
\nThe farmers smile, the berries bloom,
\nFor June has brought the Strawberry Moon.<\/p>\n
\nTo welcome back their crescent boon.
\nBut oh! this year, you\u2019re extra sly,
\nYou barely even scrape the sky!<\/p>\n
\nYou crouch and creep and flirt with hay.
\nAnd through this rare, celestial tune,
\nYou wink at Earth, a flirty Moon.<\/p>\n
\nCould bring us closer than this June.
\nSo grab a quilt, go sit out soon,
\nAnd raise a toast to the Strawberry Moon.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/talesofmanythings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-09-SM-1-300x300.jpg\")
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