Did you see it? Strawberry moon: Rare spectacle over Austria

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The so-called strawberry moon returned in all its glory on Wednesday evening. According to astronomers, the spectacle could be observed in Austria from around 9 p.m. This time, it even took on a special form.

A rare phenomenon on Wednesday evening caused a long and sometimes colorful moonrise. This was because the satellite was lower on the horizon than it had been for about 18 years. The process is also called the “great moon standstill” because it can be seen longer and closer to the horizon than usual.

This makes the spectacle appear particularly large to the human eye. Why this is so has not yet been clarified. The only certain thing is that it is an optical illusion. Our brain is deceiving us, so to speak. We probably compare the moon with other objects nearby, such as trees or houses, which makes it appear larger. If you photograph the moon, this effect is lost.

When was the strawberry moon visible?

Anyone who looked towards the southeast after 9 p.m. could observe the special June moon. “We don’t notice it in everyday life, but the moon has a cycle of approximately 18.6 years,” Michael Feuchtinger from the Vienna Planetarium explained to ORF. This means that anyone who missed the “Great Moon Standstill” on Wednesday evening will not have another chance to see the spectacle until 2043.