Ben Thompson
Sky gazers were treated to a rare spectacle last night as the 'Full Strawberry Moon' was in all its glory.
The 'Full Strawberry Moon' first got its name from Native American Algonquin tribes that lived in the Northeastern region of the United States.
Its name was used to mark the ripening of strawberries which were gathered in the month of June.
As June's full moon, it is typically the last of spring or the first of summer.
Advert
According to NASA, the moon goes by other names, including flower moon, hot moon, honey moon, rose moon, Vat Purnima and Poson Poya.
When it appeared in the night sky, it was positioned low and gave off a 'warm appearance' which meant a 'warmer' light, Space.com reported.
As a result, it has a yellow or orange colour, similar to that of a sunset.
The moon 'peaked' for Americans on the east coast at around 11:42pm (Eastern Daylight Time) while observers in Argentina, the rest of the US, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia will see the moon rise on Sunday (4 June).
It will look full from Friday night (2 June) to Monday morning (5 June).
Before the Full Strawberry Moon, May's flower moon and April's pink moon wowed people around the world - with the former giving off an orange hue and the latter being pink, as the name suggests.
Following this month, there will be four 'supermoons' in a row, with one on 3 July, one on 1 August, another on 31 August and a final one on 29 September.
Shots of the Full Strawberry Moon were shared across social media, with many left in awe of the beautiful colors.
Photographer Kristin L. Raught posted a photo to Twitter from the west coast of the US, as she tweeted: "Strawberry moon rising over West Seattle tonight."
Slightly further up north, Pamela Fayerman tweeted out a beautiful shot of the orange moon hanging over the British Columbia coast.
She tweeted: "Full moon over the Salish Sea. Spectacular!"
Over in the UK, one user named Veronica snapped a picture of the moon hanging beside Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, as she gushed: "Doesn’t it look so magical? The Full Moon & Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire this Saturday evening."
Magical and spectacular are certainly fitting words for the beautiful display.
Some people believe the moon carries spiritual significance, with one person tweeting: "June starts with one of the most powerful Full Moons of the year. It will be a Strawberry Full Moon able to clear any blockage. Cosmic energy is helping us get rid of any negative energy, bad luck, outdated connections & soul ties. It’s time for major progress in love & career."
Whether or not that rings true for most people, we can all certainly agree it looked beautiful.