The moon is always there, even when we can’t see it. Through all its phases and phenomena, people love to look up at our planet’s only natural satellite and follow along.
Of this year’s 13 expected full moons, seven have already passed. Most recently, June’s “strawberry” moon dazzled in the night sky as the first full moon of the summer. The moon’s peak illumination occurred around 7:57 p.m. E.T. on June 29 in the United States.
“For all of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the lowest full moon of 2026, and one of the lowest full moons in decades,” said EarthSky founder Deborah Byrd during a June 24 livestream. That low position made our celestial companion take on a golden hue, she added, because skywatchers in the north were “looking at it through a greater-than-usual thickness of Earth’s air.”
The strawberry moon earned its sweet nickname not because of any pink coloration, but because of the season in which it appears.
According to Bob Berman, astronomy editor for The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the name “has been used by Native American Algonquian tribes that live in the northeastern United States as well as the Ojibwe, Dakota and Lakota peoples to mark the ripening of ‘June-bearing’ strawberries that are ready to be gathered.”
This year’s strawberry moon was later than last year’s, which happened on June 11. The 2026 edition is also a micromoon, “the second-smallest full moon of 2026,” notes Jamie Carter at Live Science
The unofficial term micromoon refers to a full or new moon that occurs around the apogee, the point in the moon’s orbit when it’s farthest from Earth.
Even if you missed the peak, you might still see a striking moon in the coming evenings. As Daisy Dobrijevic reports for Space.com, skywatchers will also see the moon “appear bright and round for a night or two before and after” the June 29 peak illumination.
No matter its phase, the moon consistently makes for a fantastic photography subject. Enjoy these images of the strawberry moon, as well as the orb the day before it reached peak fullness, from across the world. And keep your eyes skyward for the six full moons to go in 2026.
Kayla Randall is Smithsonian magazine's digital editor, museums.
