Yes, the "Strawberry Moon" is a real thing, but it's the traditional name for the full moon in June, given by North American Indigenous peoples to mark the time when strawberries are ripe for harvesting; it does not mean the moon actually turns pink or red, though it can appear golden or reddish near the horizon due to atmospheric conditions. Other names for this moon include the Rose Moon, Honey Moon, and Hot Moon.
The Strawberry Moon will light up the skies in Australia the night of June 11, with its peak illumination set to occur just as the sky turns dark, but any time during that night will allow you to bask in its beams, no equipment needed. You can check moonrise and moonset times for Brisbane here.
In very rare circumstances, the Moon can appear blue, but in this case the colour would be caused by viewing the Moon through a haze of dust particles in our atmosphere, perhaps from a recent volcanic eruption. From space, however, the Moon will look just as grey as it always has!
At New Moon the percent illuminated is 0; at First and Last Quarters it is 50%; and at Full Moon it is 100%. During the crescent phases the percent illuminated is between 0 and 50% and during gibbous phases it is between 50% and 100%.
The phenomenon of the sun, earth, and moon being exactly on the same axis is therefore rare. The blood moon, a rare natural phenomenon, has fascinated people since time immemorial.
However, don't expect the Strawberry Moon to appear pink or red like a strawberry! These full Moon names are simply traditional labels and don't relate to the Moon's appearance. That said, this particular full Moon rises low in the sky, and when the Moon is near the horizon, it can sometimes look orange or reddish.
January 2026: What to know about the full Wolf Moon
🌕 Full Moon: Jan. 3. 🌗 Last Quarter: Jan. 10. 🌑 New Moon: Jan. 18. 🌓 First Quarter: Jan. 25.
Today, Jan. 7, 2026, the moon is 18 days old and is in the Waning Gibbous phase of its lunar cycle. It is 79% illuminated. Moon phases reveal the passage of time in the night sky.
Lunar eclipses are global events that occur at the same time for everyone. This one will happen between 03:57 and 10:00 UTC on Friday, March 14, 2025, with the spectacular 65-minute-long totality — when the entire lunar surface will be reddish — happening between 06:26 and 07:31 UTC.
On April 12 and 13, the pink moon (or paschal moon) is set to light up Australian skies.
The strawberry moon, like every full moon, can actually have an effect on our sleep – even if this effect is scientifically controversial. Many people report more restless sleep, more vivid dreams or a general change in sleep patterns around the full moon.
There will be 13 full moons in 2026 and it will also be the year that humans make it back to the Moon. The Moon has been part of human culture from the dawn of time and now it may be the springboard for the exploration of space.
Every 18.6 years, our Moon reaches the extremes of its orbit around the Earth. We observe this as the Moon rises and sets at its most northerly and southerly positions on the horizon.
Visually blue moon
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, scattering is the cause of "that epitome of rare occurrences, the blue Moon (seen when forest fires produce clouds composed of small droplets of organic compounds)."
Native Americans and medieval Europeans called January's full Moon a Wolf Moon. It's thought to be because wolves howled more at this time of year, as there was less food. The snowy weather of February in North America led to the name Snow Moon. Other common names include Storm Moon and Hunger Moon.
The full moon of January 2025, known as the Wolf Moon, will peak on January 13, 2025, at 5:27 p.m. ET.
It's not really red. It's only called the strawberry moon because it's the last full moon of spring and coincides with the strawberry harvest. Also it's NOT a blood moon!
The moon doesn't actually appear pink. The Farmer's Almanac states that the name is derived from the early spring bloom of a North American wildflower called "Phlox subulata," commonly known moss phlox. "This flower, often called 'moss pink,' was in full bloom around April's full moon," the Farmer's Almanac said.
The pink moon, unfortunately, does not mean that the moon will actually appear pink. Instead, the naming of said moon comes from ancient traditions. It is important, astrophysically, because it is the moon at its farthest point from Earth and appears much smaller than usual.
As well as shrinking in volume and surface area, the Moon is also shrinking in apparent size from Earth's perspective as it gradually moves farther away from our planet. The Moon moves about 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) farther away from us every year.
Also unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to view without any eye protection or special precautions.
The totality of this eclipse will begin at 23 hr 00 min IST on 07th September, 2025and the ending time of the totality of this eclipse is 00h 23m IST of 08th September, 2025. The duration of the eclipse is 3 hour 30 minutes with magnitude 1.368. The duration of totality of the eclipse is 1 hour 23 minutes.