Sky watchers are in luck on July 4 when the full moon, or July full moon, rises in the sky. There will also be a partial lunar eclipse.
“The July full moon will rise after sunset on the night of Saturday, July 4, before reaching maximum illumination at 12:44 am Eastern Time on Sunday, July 5,” explains The Old. Farmer’s Almanac. “Look southeast to see how it rises above the horizon.”
The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains that the buck moon earned its name because it occurs at a time of year when a buck’s antlers are “in full growth.” Another name for the buck moon is the thunder moon.
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NASA notes that there will also be a partial twilight eclipse of the moon. In a penumbral lunar eclipse, part of the moon passes through the outer part of Earth’s shadow, the space agency says.
On the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, the full moon rises above the skyline of Lower Manhattan and the One World Trade Center in New York City on July 16, 2019, viewed from Kearney, New Jersey – file photo .
(Photo by Gary Hershorn / Getty Images)
“The moon will be close enough to the side opposite the Sun that its northern edge will pass through Earth’s partial shadow,” NASA explains on its website. “Although visible from America, this slight darkening of the moon should be difficult or impossible to notice without instrumentation. The moon will appear full for about three days around the eclipse, from Friday night to Monday morning, making this a full moon weekend. “
Last month, sky watchers around the world enjoyed the stunning June full moon or strawberry moon. The strawberry moon was also a penumbral lunar eclipse for sky watchers in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania.
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However, the moon will not be as high in the sky as the strawberry moon. “By 2020, this full moon in early July is closer to the summer solstice and will be lower in the sky than the full moon in June,” NASA explains on its website.
May’s full moon, known as the flower moon, was the last supermoon of 2020.
July is also a good time to see Venus and Mercury, according to NASA. “Wednesday morning, July 8, 2020, will be when the brightest of the planets, Venus, reaches its brightest,” he explains on his website. “Starting Thursday morning, July 16, 2020, the planet Mercury will be above the horizon when morning twilight begins (at least for the Washington DC area), making all five planets visible to the naked eye (if you have a clear view of Mercury on the horizon in the east-northeast and Jupiter and Saturn on the horizon in the southwest). “
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The five planets with the naked eye are Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
