Overview

• The Buck Moon’s name honors Algonquin and other Native American traditions linking lunar phases to midsummer deer antler growth.
• The Moon will rise fully illuminated shortly after local sunset, making the best viewing window 30–60 minutes into the evening from low-light southeast-facing sites.
• Rayleigh scattering creates the ‘Moon Illusion’ that magnifies and reddens the Moon near the horizon before it appears silvery-white overhead.
• Mars will be visible in the western sky just after sunset, Venus will glow before dawn in the eastern sky, and Saturn can be spotted near the Moon with binoculars or a small telescope.
• Full alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon on July 10 reveals 100% of the lunar surface and enhances tidal extremes on Earth.