DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Tonight's full Strawberry Moon isn't just any full moon.  You see, recent smoke from Canadian wildfires remains suspended aloft, producing a hazy appearance. At the same time, a lunar orbit that hasn't happened since 2006 will also be on display.   

What astronomers call a major lunar standstill will linger for most of this year.  During this period, the moon will reach its maximum declination, resulting in full moons that appear more low or high in the sky, depending on the time of year.

This month, the moon will be even lower on the horizon due to this lunar standstill. The standstill is a combination of the sun's gravitational pull and the moon’s orbit being tilted in relation to both Earth’s equator and the sun’s path across our sky. This results in the moon's orbital path shifting over an 18.6 year cycle.   

Now think back to high school science and ROY G BIV (the colors of the spectrum!). Shorter wavelength light (green, blue, indigo, violet) is scattered away from our eyes when viewing things on the horizon.  Longer wavelength light (red, orange, yellow) is what we see. 

So, the finale of the Canadian wildfire smoke and major lunar standstill will be an impressive yellow, orange or amber hue that encompasses the full moon tonight.  Enjoy!    

Copyright 2025. WANDTV. All Rights Reserved.