June full moon shines on SpaceX Dragon | Space photo of the day for June 12, 2025

The month of June hosted some stunning moon watching in the night sky, as this photo from SpaceX shows.

What is it?

On June 11, 2025, SpaceX’s X account posted this photo of the Dragon spacecraft basking in the light of the June full moon. Dragon is the only spacecraft currently flying that can return large cargo from the International Space Station to Earth, according to SpaceX. It is large enough to carry seven passengers on its voyages.

Where is it?

The private spacecraft sits on Launch Complex-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on the coast of Florida.

Why is it amazing?

This year, June’s full moon is the lowest it has been in nearly two decades, due to a process known as “major lunar standstill“. This happens during a two-year period when the moon’s orbit is the most tilted compared to Earth’s celestial equator, essentially Earth’s equator projected into space. This standstill causes the moon to rise and set higher and lower in the horizon than normal.

June’s moon also has something extra, as it’s considered a “Strawberry Moon.” This name was given due to the corresponding farming season of picking strawberries, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The luminosity of the full moon comes from its position as it sits directly opposite from the sun in relation to Earth, and can fully reflect its light back down onto our planet.

Want to learn more?

You can read more about June’s full moon as well as SpaceX’s Dragon as a busy summer gets underway.