Sensation in the Dresden night sky: The rare strawberry moon shines!

Sensation in the Dresden night sky: The rare strawberry moon shines!

In the night from June 11th to June 12th, 2025, many star observers in Dresden and the surrounding area were able to look forward to something very special: the Juni Function, also known as the "Strawberry Moon", illuminated the night sky. Dozens of people gathered along the Dresden Hellers from around 10:20 p.m. to capture this unique natural spectacle with their cell phones and cameras, such as Tag24 reports .

The visual conditions were particularly good in Saxony, although the moon was also to be seen in the Upper Lausitz. The "strawberry moon" has its name from the Algonquin, an indigenous people in North America, which associated him with the strawberry harvest in June. It is less well known that the reddish coloring of the moon is not guaranteed in this observation; It occurs primarily when the moon is low in the sky and is subject to the light fleet phenomenon.

a major astronomical event

The special thing about this year is that the strawberry moon 2025 has been the deepest full moon in the northern hemisphere since 2007. The moon hovered in the so -called large moon arrest, which means that its orbit is particularly deep in a cycle of 18.6 years. This astronomical rarity makes the sight all the more fascinating, since such a moon position is only to be expected again in 2043. [The Weather] (https://www.daswetter.com/nachrichten/astronomie/der-erdbeermond-2025-ein-aast-astronomic- Spiel-am-juni-Himml) describes the exact details about this event.

But why does the moon actually shine so red? This is related to two main factors: on the one hand, the moon stands deep above the horizon at this point, on the other hand, a high fine dust pollution in the atmosphere ensures these impressive colors. SRF explained that both rayleigh and lean spread are more responsible for spreading and thus the longer-wavy, reddish tones dominate.

a spectacle that stimulates research

The reddish color of the moon is not only a nice sight, but can also provide important data for research. Increased fine dust values, caused by forest fires in Canada, Russia and southern Europe, reinforce the reddish appearance of the moon and can serve as a warning sign for air pollution. Satellite systems such as Copernicus and Modis report high aerosol values ​​in the northern hemisphere that are connected to the health of the atmosphere. Such observations provide valuable information to analyze the effects of aerosols on climate changes and general air quality.

The strawberry moon is therefore not only a festive spectacle for the eyes, but also an opportunity for scientists to learn more about the connections between air pollution and climate changes. This full moon will not only be remembered on June 12, 2025 because it was more beautiful to look at than many of its predecessors, but also as an educational event in astronomy.