July's full moon is the buck moon. Here's when to see it and how to take a good photo
There's nothing like gazing into the night sky.
Maybe you were amazed by the northern lights (in Florida!). Or maybe it was the recent view of the Milky Way, captured in a timelapse video.
But even "just" the moon can provide a moment to just be astounded at its beauty, and you don't have to be perfect in your timing to see it and it won't be hard to spot.
The next full moon is coming soon, but don't worry. Like we said, it'll look full for a few days and you don't have to get up in the middle of the night to enjoy it or a powerful set of binoculars to find it.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon will be Sunday, July 21, at 6:17 a.m. EDT. If you miss it, it will appear full the night before and after the peak to the casual stargazer, according to Space.com.
July full moon known as buck moon
Most names of full moons in North America came from Old English and/or Native American sources, according to EarthSky.org.
July's full moon most commonly is known as the buck moon, thunder moon or hay moon.
That's not its only name. According to the Farmer's Almanac and Space.com, it's also been called:
Raspberry moon, by the Anishinaabe
Feather molting moon, by the Cree
Ripe Corn moon, by the Cherokee
Salmon moon, by the Haida and Tlingit
Time of much ripening, by the Mohawk
Blackberry moon, by the Shawnee
Hungry ghost moon, by Chinese
Buck moon meaning
How did July's full moon come to be associated with deer? Antlers on male deer begin to grow in late spring. By July, antlers in full velvet are visible, according to the Farmer's Almanac.
How can you take a good picture of the full moon with your phone?
You may have already noticed that shooting a good moon pic with your phone is tricky. If you focus and set your exposure on the moon itself, everything else will be too dark to see. Try using that to your advantage by taking shots with the moon against something that looks good in silhouette, like tree limbs and statues, or shoot it over water where the reflection will shine brightly.
Plan your shot ahead of time, if you can, to find a good setting or capture it closer to the horizon where it will look larger.
Turn off your flash.
Slow the shutter speed by holding it up to the night sky. Experiment with phone exposure and shutter speeds to get different effects.
Use optical zoom, don't pinch to zoom higher than your phone's preset options. That will actually mean a poorer image.
Use a tripod and a timer or brace yourself to avoid a blurry photo.
If you're comfortable changing your phone settings, change your default photo format to RAW or Apple ProRAW to get much more detail. Your photos will look duller when you shoot them but when you adjust the exposure, color and white balance in a photo editing app you'll get amazingly clear, detailed, colorful shots. Change the format back afterward, RAW photos take up a lot more space.
Be creative. Capture the moon reflecting on water. Frame the moon with trees or memorable architecture.
When are full moons for 2024?
Buck moon: July 21, 6:17 a.m. ET
Sturgeon moon: Aug. 19, 2:26 p.m. ET (also a supermoon)
Harvest moon: Sept. 17, 10:34 p.m. ET (supermoon occurs Sept. 18)
Hunter's moon: Oct. 17, 7:26 a.m. ET (also a supermoon)
Beaver moon: Nov. 15, 4:29 p.m. ET (also a supermoon)
Cold moon: Dec. 15, 4:02 a.m. ET
What's a supermoon?
A supermoon happens when the full moon occurs when the moon is at its closest point to earth, NASA said.
Moon trivia
There are two types of blue moons: monthly and seasonal.
A monthly blue moon happens when there is a full moon twice in a month. Monthly blue moons occur once every two to three years, according to NASA. The next one will be May 31, 2026, according to TimeandDate.com.
A seasonal blue moon is the third full moon of an astronomical season. The next seasonal full moon will be Aug. 19, 2024.
About every 19 years, February doesn't have a full moon. It last happened in 2018 and will next happen in 2037.
The moon probably formed after a Mars-sized body collided with the Earth, according to NASA.
Why is it called "the moon"? Because until Galileo Galilei discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610, people didn't know there were any other moons, NASA said.
If Earth were the size of a nickel, the moon would be about as big as a coffee bean.
The moon is slowly moving away from the Earth, getting about an inch farther away each year, according to NASA.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: When is the next full moon? Buck moon July