STUNNING photos have revealed the spectacular Strawberry Super Moon in the night sky.
June’s full moon was at its peak on June 24, creating a dazzling backdrop to places like the marble temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, south of Athens in Greece.
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Muscovites were also treated to a spectacle with the reddish moon appearing over Russia‘s Foreign Ministry in the country’s capital.
The name “Strawberry Super Moon” actually refers more to the tasty summer fruit rather than the Moon itself, according to Nasa.
Nasa wrote: “The Maine Farmer’s Almanac first published “Indian” names for the full Moons in the 1930’s.
“According to this Almanac, as the full Moon in June and the last full Moon of spring, the Algonquin tribes called this the Strawberry Moon.
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“The name comes from the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries in the north-eastern United States.”
June’s full Moon is always particularly low in the sky, this can make it shine through more of the atmosphere than at other times in the year.
It won’t technically be pink or red but, according to Nasa, its low position can sometimes give the full Moon a reddish or rose colour.
Another name given to the phenomenon is Mead Moon or the Honey Moon – a time when honey is ripe and ready to be harvested, potentially to be turned into mead.
The 1500s term “honeymoon” may be linked to this full Moon, referring to the first month after marriage.
The different types of moons
Here are some of the most interesting moon phases and when to see them…
A Blue Moon refers to the occasion when a full Moon appears for the second time in the same month, this is very rare.
The Harvest Moon appears around the time of the autumnal equinox when farmers tend to do their main crop harvesting.
A Supermoon appears when it is at its closest point to Earth and therefore at its brightest.
A Blood Moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse.
Each month of the year actually has its own special full moon phenomenon, they are as follows:
- January: Wolf Moon
- February: Snow Moon
- March: Worm Moon
- April: Pink Moon
- May: Flower Moon
- June: Strawberry Moon
- July: Buck Moon
- August: Sturgeon Moon
- September: Full Corn Moon
- October: Hunter’s Moon
- November: Beaver Moon
- December: Cold Moon
A Supermoon appears when a full Moon aligns with the point closest to the Earth during its elliptical orbit.
During this time it appears 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than usual.
It wasn’t until 1979 that Richard Nolle first defined the Supermoon, which is now a widely-used term.
The astrologer explained that the phenomenon is “a new or full Moon which occurs with the Moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit”.
Based on Nolle’s theory, the moon would have to be around 226,000 miles away from the Earth to be considered “super”.
Because of its relatively close proximity to the Earth, the celestial body’s surface appears a lot bigger when a Supermoon occurs.
