Hello, it's nice to have you in this space again today. Hope you are doing well?
While walking home yesterday, I saw this
golden-hued object in the sky. Initially, I thought it was a late sunset but looking at the time time, 7:21pm CAT (UTC +1), it seemed unlikely to be a sunset.
Another guess, maybe it's a moon. But I still doubted it, considering its early appearance and lack of illumination like a moon.
Captivated, I stood gazing at its golden hue and wished that somehow, it would reveal itself to me, even though I wasn't in a fairy land. 😅
It was a fascinating sight to behold, even more when it's glow was reflecting on the water puddles on the road. At first, I thought it was torchlight from someone approaching, but as I got closer, I realized it was its glow on the water puddles. Awesome stuff!
In that moment, I couldn't resist capturing this breathtaking view, so I quickly reached for my phone and managed to take several snapshots.
Getting home, I made a quick search online to find out whether the object was actually a moon or something else. And you can't believe what the search revealed. It was actually a moon, a full moon at that called Strawberry Moon. Strawberry moon, why the name? I searched further.
Here's what I found;
In the month of June, the moon's illumination usually appears full on a certain night. So on that particular night, the Native American tribes in the northeastern United States often use that opportunity to go harvest ripe strawberries. And that was how the name Strawberry Moon came about.
And this year's Strawberry Moon was said to occur on June 10-12 2025. It's visibility on Tuesday, June 10 will be around 6:44pm local time in some regions and peak illumination on Wednesday, June 11 around 3:44am Eastern time.
More to that, this year's Strawberry Moon is a phenomenal one. It is a micro moon, meaning that it's appearance was slightly smaller and dimmer than usual, with a soft golden glow.
Given my location, Aba, Nigeria, and time zone, WAT (UTC +1, the Strawberry Moon was likely visible around 6:44 PM, shortly after sunset, and I saw it around 7:21pm WAT. That was it!
Wow, I knew it! That object I saw glowing up there was something extraordinary - or rather celestial. I couldn't be more than happy.
Although the photos I captured didn't do justice to the breathtaking beauty of the Strawberry Moon due to my phone's poor camera quality, but I was happy to have at least tried capturing this special moment. In fact, I feel grateful for the opportunity to witness this year's June Strawberry Moon. If only I had strawberries to pick, it would have made it even more special. Lol.
Another one is coming up by July, and I hope to see it too. 😅
I hope you'll like the photos.
This post is for the Lifescape Tribe's Night Photography Contest, Round 10
Author's Photos
