JACKSON, Wyo. — It’s time to enjoy summertime moonlight! July’s full “Buck Moon” peaks over Jackson around 8:35 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29. Since it will reach peak fullness during daylight hours, watch for the rise after sunset in the southeast.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, July’s full moon is known as the “Buck Moon” because the antlers of male deer are growing at this time. Bucks shed and regrow their antlers each year, producing a larger set of antlers as they age.
“Other names for this month’s moon also reference animals, including Feather Moulting Moon (Cree) and Salmon Moon, a Tlingit term indicating when fish returned to the area and were ready to be harvested,” says the almanac. “Thunder Moon (Western Abenaki) and Halfway Summer Moon (Anishinaabe) refer to the stormy weather and summer season.”
The almanac also lists many plant-related names for July’s moon. “Some of our favorites are Berry Moon (Anishinaabe), Moon When the Chokecherries are Ripe (Dakota), Month of the Ripe Corn Moon (Cherokee) and Raspberry Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe).”
According to NASA, skywatchers should also consider pointing telescopes toward Saturn.
“Saturn’s rings are still tilted at a very shallow angle from our point of view, making them look unusually thin,” NASA’s July blog post reads. “The rings aren’t disappearing, but how they appear from Earth is changing. It’s a great reminder that our view of the solar system is always in motion.”
