Topline<\/p>\n
The full Buck Moon \u2014 the eighth full moon of 2026<\/a> \u2014 rose into evening skies around the world on Wednesday, July 29, illuminating midsummer landscapes and offering photographers a classic warm-weather full moon as twilight faded. Half an orbit later, on Aug. 12, the next new moon will be positioned precisely between the Earth and the sun as seen from parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain, causing a dramatic total solar eclipse<\/a>. <\/p>\n 28 July 2026, Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, Zepfenhan: The full moon rises behind a patch of woods near Zepfenhan (Rottweil district). Photo: Silas Stein\/dpa (Photo by Silas Stein\/picture alliance via Getty Images)<\/p>\n dpa\/picture alliance via Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n The buck moon reached its exact full phase at 10:37 a.m. EDT on July 29, but \u2014 as always \u2014 was best seen at moonrise during dusk, just after sunset that night. It appeared on the eastern horizon across North America around 8:30 p.m. local time, just after sunset.<\/p>\n It was the eighth full moon of 2026 and the second full moon of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere. <\/p>\n The full moon rises behind the ancient Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo\/Petros Giannakouris)<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reservedWHY IT\u2019S CALLED THE BUCK MOON<\/p>\n July\u2019s full moon is traditionally known as the buck moon because this is the time of year when male deer begin to regrow their antlers, or \u201cbucks.\u201d Other historical names include the thunder moon and hay moon.<\/p>\n A CLASSIC SUMMER FULL MOON<\/p>\n As a midsummer full moon, the buck moon followed a relatively low arc across the sky in the Northern Hemisphere. Full moons always appear opposite the sun, and with the sun still high in late July, the moon rose lower than winter full moons.<\/p>\n The full Buck Moon rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City on July 29, 2026, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Getty ImagesTHE MOON ILLUSION IN ACTION<\/p>\n Many of the most striking images relied on the moon illusion, an optical effect that makes the moon appear larger when it is near the horizon. The illusion is strongest at moonrise, when foreground objects such as city skylines or natural landmarks provide a sense of scale that tricks the human brain into exaggerating the moon\u2019s apparent size.<\/p>\n WHY THE EXACT FULL MOON TIME MATTERS LESS<\/p>\n Although the buck moon officially turned full during daylight hours in North America, it looked essentially full both the night before and the night after. That\u2019s why skywatchers and photographers focus on the date when moonrise occurs just after sunset \u2014 during dusk \u2014 rather than the precise moment of full phase, which is largely irrelevant.<\/p>\n A full moon sets behind the Eiffel Tower on Monday, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo\/Aurelien Morissard)<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.WHY THE \u2018BUCK MOON\u2019 LOOKED ORANGE<\/p>\n The moon always appears orange when it is near the horizon, at both moonrise and moonset. When you view the full moon, you\u2019re looking at it through a lot of Earth\u2019s atmosphere \u2014 a soup of nitrogen and oxygen molecules. Short-wavelength light, such as blue, strikes those molecules. Longer wavelengths of light, such as red and orange, more easily travel through \u2014 and that\u2019s what your eyes primarily see.<\/p>\n WHAT COMES NEXT IN THE NIGHT SKY<\/p>\n July\u2019s buck moon acted as a calm prelude to one of the most dramatic months of 2026. August will bring a total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, visible from parts of Europe, followed just a few hours later by the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. That could see about 50 \u201cshooting stars\u201d per hour in dark skies.<\/p>\n The full moon rises over Cardiff, Wales, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. <\/p>\n Jamie CarterCOUNTDOWN TO THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE<\/p>\n Two weeks after July\u2019s full buck moon, the moon will turn new and pass directly in front of the sun, creating a total solar eclipse on Aug. 12<\/a>. The path of totality crosses eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, where \u2014 if skies are clear \u2014 the sun\u2019s corona will become visible for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds.<\/p>\n COUNTDOWN TO THE PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE<\/p>\n Across Western Europe and North America, a partial eclipse will be visible. From the U.K. and Western Europe, a deep partial solar eclipse will be seen, with some seeing the odd sight of a 95%-eclipsed sunset. North America\u2019s best views will be in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. Newfoundland will be closest to the path of totality, so see the biggest partial eclipse at about 50%, with Halifax at 31%, Qu\u00e9bec City at 24%, Boston at 16%, and New York at 10%. Solar eclipse glasses will be essential throughout all phases of the partial eclipse.<\/p>\n The full moon rises over Cardiff, Wales, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. <\/p>\n Jamie CarterWHEN IS THE NEXT FULL MOON?<\/p>\n Two weeks after the total solar eclipse, there will be a very deep partial lunar eclipse. On Aug. 27, 96% of the full sturgeon moon will enter Earth\u2019s shadow, causing much of the lunar surface to turn a reddish color \u2014 not quite a \u201cblood moon\u201d total lunar eclipse, but about as close as it\u2019s possible to get. It will be seen across North America.<\/p>\n Further readingForbes50 Days To A Total Solar Eclipse \u2014 Where And When To Experience ItBy Jamie Carter<\/a>Forbes7 Spectacular Stargazing Events To See This SummerBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesYour Full Moon Guide For 2026 \u2014 All 13 Dates For Your DiaryBy Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline The full Buck Moon \u2014 the eighth full moon of 2026 \u2014 rose into evening skies around…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":611310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[270],"tags":[16124,258057,254411,258058,17070,18,218468,19,17,258056,103342,133,451,258059,62130],"class_list":["post-611309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-blood-moon","tag-blood-moon-2026","tag-buck-moon","tag-buck-moon-photos","tag-eclipse","tag-eire","tag-full-moon-calendar-2026","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-july-full-moon-2026","tag-next-full-moon","tag-science","tag-space","tag-stargazing-july","tag-when-is-the-next-full-moon"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117007889537572002","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}