It has been 55 years since the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, and what better way to mark the anniversary than with a full moon?
July’s full moon — the Buck Moon — will almost coincide with the anniversary of the moon landing.
July 20 marks the day that Neil Armstrong took that “one giant leap for mankind,” while the Buck Moon will be 100% full on July 21 at 6:17 a.m. ET. However, to the casual stargazer, the moon will look full the night before, Space.com said.
While the Buck Moon, which comes from the time when antlers start to appear on male deer, is the most well-known name for July’s full moon, it has several other names including the Thunder Moon, signifying how many thunderstorms happen at this time of year, USA Today reported. It also goes by Hay Moon in Europe, or when farmers put hay in the barn after harvest, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich.
It’s called the Guru Full Moon by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, according to NASA.