News

A rare ‘Strawberry Moon’ will appear in the sky for the final time tonight – here’s when to catch it

Always love stuff like this.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 11th June 2025

In the latest astronomical phenomenon to hit Britain and beyond in recent times, a rare ‘Strawberry Moon’ is set to appear once again in UK skies tonight, and you don’t want to miss it.

Put it this way: if you didn’t catch it last night, you won’t get another chance for nearly two decades.

The event only happens approximately every 18.6 years and will be the lowest it’s appeared above our part of the world that its been since 2006.

But for those who’ve never even heard of this, you might be wondering what exactly a Strawberry Moon is. We’re no experts, but this should just about fill you in.

Strawberry Moon 2025 – explained

What is it?

Put in simplest terms, a Strawberry Moon occurs when the Moon reaches the extremes of its northernmost and southernmost rising and setting points on the horizon, creating a striking standstill impression to the human eye.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to expert Matt Woods from the Perth Observatory, “These standstills happen because the Moon’s orbit is tilted at a 5-degree inclination relative to the Earth’s equator and slowly shifts over time.”

The name itself derives from native American culture and, in the case of June’s full Moon, it is dubbed as such not only because of its reddish hue but because it aligns with the start of summer and the beginning of strawberry harvest season.

ADVERTISEMENT

Colliding with the summer solstice – with said standstill sometimes referred to as a ‘lunicstice’ – the moon will give more of an orange glow rather than pink or red like actual strawberries, but it’s nevertheless a stunning sight. It was already clocked across various parts of the globe since Monday:

Why so low, moon-face?

As for why it’s going to loom so low over our skies this evening, UK archaeologist and historian Jennifer Wexler explained to BBC’s Sky At Night Magazine: “Over several years, the limits of moonrise and moonset themselves gradually change, until they reach the point where the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset positions are at their maximum distance apart on the horizon…

“Once a major standstill is reached, the distance between northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset can be exceptionally far apart, and it stays that way for around two years.”

ADVERTISEMENT

With all that in mind, this particular full Moon (10-11 June, 2025) will be the lowest full Moon in the sky for nearly two whole decades and won’t occur again until 2043, hence why so many have taken an interest in trying to catch it.

Speaking of…

When and where is best to see the Strawberry Moon in the UK?

Now, we won’t lie to you, Greater Manchester isn’t necessarily the best-placed area to see the upcoming Strawberry Moon in its full glory this Wednesday; the weather forecast has it that the skies are clearest right up at the top of England, as well as south-west Scotland.

However, provided there isn’t too much cloud coverage, it should still be visible across most regions, including the North West.

The moon is expected to rise around 9:30pm tonight, with the best window to see it appearing within the next hour or so following this period. It may not be as bright and bold as it appeared in some parts of the country on Tuesday, but it’ll still be something to behold.

ADVERTISEMENT

In terms of what else meteorologists have said about the rest of this week, the weather is looking a bit all over the place, we’re afraid.

Thunderstorms and ‘intense downpours’ forecast to hit the UK from this evening

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Thangaraj Kumaravel/Alan Levine (via Flickr)/Mark Tegethoff (via Unsplash)

News

Council calls on Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Residents across Manchester are being called on to help bring hundreds of empty homes across the region back into use.

Since the beginning of this year, a major review has been underway around the city’s draft strategy for bringing empty homes back into use to help meet demand for affordable homes across the city, while also improving communities by tackling empty homes that can blight an area… but now, Manchester City Council needs your help.

Following a major public consultation, the Council is now acting on feedback to accelerate plans to bring as many long-term empty homes back into active use as possible.

Although the number of long-term empty homes in Manchester is near a historic low, with the Council having managed to reduce the number by more than half since 2013, there is still more work to be done.

“Every void property is a missed opportunity to provide a family a place to live, reduce homelessness, and lessen the burden on temporary accommodation,” the Council said in a statement.

Houses
The Council is calling on the Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

So, how can residents help then? What do you need to do if you spot an empty home on a street nearby?

Well, the easiest way to report an empty home is to report the issue online here, or by emailing [email protected]. And then once that’s done, a team of dedicated empty homes officers will take up the case to find out who owns the property and work with the owner on a plan to bring the home back into use.

The vast number of empty homes are privately owned with complex histories, and there are some cases where an owner may have passed away.

While working collaboratively with housing providers, voluntary organisations and public services are also a key element of detecting potentially empty or ‘problematic’ homes to repurpose them.

Greater Manchester reveals £11.7m plan to tackle empty homes across the region

Officers can also support, where required, if a communication or language poses a barrier to resolving an empty home issue.

Tailored approaches to different communities – where empty homes impact neighbourhoods in different ways – are also being considered, according to the Council.

“To think, if we could bring all empty homes back into use, then we could provide more homes for those on the housing register and take pressure off the whole housing system,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development.

Read more:

“The potential of making empty homes a thing of the past is huge for Manchester families looking for a place to call home – and a significant part of tackling the housing crisis.”

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons

News

Urgent travel warning issued ahead of one of Manchester’s busiest event weekends of the year

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Greater Manchester is gearing up for what is set to be one of the busiest weekends of the year.

Manchester‘s biggest music festival, Parklife, returns to Heaton Park this weekend (Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June), with tens of thousands of people expected to make the journey to see headliners Calvin Harris, Sammy Virji, Skepta, and Zara Larsson, as well as many other well-known music names… but that’s not all.

Over at the Etihad Stadium, Take That are set to perform a series of shows across the weekend, while the Etihad Campus will also host the Women’s Netball Final at Co-op Live from 3pm on Saturday afternoon.

The city will also welcome Lily Allen and the B52s across three nights at the AO Arena, and the Women’s Cricket World Cup will draw thousands to Emirates Old Trafford on 21 June, when South Africa take on India.

So, as you can see, we’ve got a jam-packed couple of days coming up.

In fact, it’s estimated that more than a quarter of a million people are expected to be travelling to the various events over the weekend, and of course, this means the roads and public transport will be significantly busier than usual.

Whether you’re one of the many fans or just making a regular journey, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is advising everyone to ‘plan ahead’, allow extra time for their journey, and avoid the busiest areas and times.

To prepare for the increase in travel, TfGM has confirmed that there will be more trams serving event venues, alongside extended tram operating times, to ensure everyone gets home safely.

For travel to and from Parklife, the specific Parklife travel ticket – which will be available on the Bee Network app – is valid on trams and buses across Greater Manchester, and this includes relevant shuttle buses operating to and from the city centre.

An urgent travel warning has been issued ahead of one of Manchester’s busiest event weekends of the year / Credit: Steve Turvey (Supplied) | TfGM

Throughout the weekend, extra staff and TravelSafe Support Officers will be out and about across the transport network to help passengers, and TfGM will be working closely with police and other partners to manage roads and the transport network around the clock.

“We’re expecting it to be very busy across the network, with more than a quarter of a million fans travelling to various sports and music events,” commented Danny Vaughn, who is the Chief Network Officer at TfGM.

“We will have as many staff as possible on the network, running as many services as we can to ensure that the Bee Network is here to help you get where you need to go.

Read more:

“So, for everyone looking to get out and about, please plan ahead, check the Bee Network app for updates and have a safe journey.”

A dedicated travel page for this weekend’s event has been set up, so you can find out everything you need to know and get live updates on the Bee Network website here.

Featured Image – TfGM

More News

Powerful pistol and SMG weapons found in Brinnington by Stockport police

Crime

‘Powerful’ firearms found in Stockport suburb as police search for answers

People on mobile phones

News

What is going to be included in the UK’s under-16s social media ban?

Man United Amazon All Or Nothing documentary TV show series

Manchester

Manchester United agree record streaming deal for new Amazon documentary TV series

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches