Flower Moon shines behind Statue of Liberty

One of the final astronomical sights of spring graced the heavens on Thursday night as people stepped outside to see a full moon so bright that it cast shadows on the ground.

May's full moon is known as the Flower Moon, named after the abundance of blooming flowers across North America. It was also the final full moon of astronomical spring.

Photographers around the globe pointed their cameras at the sky and captured breathtaking images of the moon, including in New York City where the moon appeared above the Statue of Liberty.

Summer officially begins at 4:50 p.m. EDT on June 20, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, when the solstice occurs.

The next full moon rises one day later on June 21.

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