Overview
- The Buck Moon reached peak illumination on July 10 and will remain nearly full through Sunday night, offering extra time for observation
- Its unusually low trajectory at moonrise was driven by summer solstice geometry and an 18.6-year Major Lunar Standstill
- Atmospheric scattering during its horizon pass filtered out blue light and produced vivid orange tones while the Moon illusion magnified its apparent size
- Mars, Saturn and Venus continue to join the lunar display, with Mars setting before midnight, Saturn rising around midnight and Venus climbing into the pre-dawn sky
- Named for the period when bucks grow their antlers, this full moon marks the first full moon of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere