A rare 'strawberry moon' appeared in the sky and it was stunning
LONDON -- On Monday night, as crowds gathered to celebrate the summer solstice -- the longest day of the year -- something pretty rare occurred. In fact, this once-a-year phenomenon was upstaged by a nearly once-in-a-lifetime event.
For the first time since 1967, the summer solstice coincided with a full moon; or a "strawberry moon." And, according to astronomers, the full moon won't appear again on the solstice until 2062. So, it'll be a bit of a wait -- 46 years, to be precise.
Despite its name, a strawberry moon doesn't bear any resemblance to a strawberry. A strawberry moon refers to a full moon that occurs in the month of June, and it was given its name by Algonquin tribes in North America as it marks the start of strawberry picking season.
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Here are some of the most striking photos of the strawberry moon occurring during this year's summer solstice.
The strawberry moon was spotted hovering above London on Monday night.
Some captured photos of the moon in Merseyside in the north of England.
The moon looked pretty spectacular as it rose behind Glastonbury Tor in southwest England.
The moon appeared to have an amber glow to it as it rose in the sky about Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire.
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And people captured the rare sight on the Northumberland coastline.
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Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.