Buck Moon: What you need to know ahead of July’s full moon

Kristina Shalhoup, Sebastian Posey, Nexstar Media Wire

Updated: Jul 20, 2021 / 07:33 PM CDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — July’s full moon, known as the Buck Moon, falls on Friday, July 23, but will appear full from Thursday evening through Sunday morning, according to NASA.

Why is it called the “Buck Moon”?

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the Algonquin tribes of the northeastern United States called July’s moon the Buck Moon because it appears at the time of year when male deer regrow their antlers to be bigger than the year before.

The moon is also known as the Thunder Moon due to the frequent thunderstorms that are common in summer.

The Buck Moon isn’t the only reason to keep your eyes on the night sky. The Perseid Meteor Shower is also underway through August 24.

Next month’s full moon, known as the Sturgeon Moon, will be visible on August 22.

The Perseids

The meteors come from the comet known as 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which brings this meteor shower each summer. Swift-Tuttle orbits the sun every 133 years and was last in our inner solar system in 1992.

Each year the Earth goes around the sun, it passes through a dusty trail left behind from this comet. Those particles in the trail then collide with our atmosphere and disintegrate to create the beautiful meteor shower and fireballs that we see in the summer night sky.

The meteor shower, which began July 14 this year, is named after the constellation Perseus, which is the area in the sky the meteors appear to come from when looking from the Northern Hemisphere.

According to NASA, the Perseids meteor shower is known for the fireballs which “are large explosions of light and color that persist longer than an average meteor streak.” These fireballs come from some of the comet’s larger particles.