This week's low-hanging Buck Moon will show a strange illusion on the horizon
On July 10, the full moon will rise… but not that high, as it will stay closer to the ground than we're used to.
This means that it could seem larger, even though it isn't, because there are more buildings and trees nearby.
Dr Gregory Brown, of the Royal Observatory, told Metro: 'When it's very high up in the sky, your eye doesn't have a good reference for how to determine its size.
'So to your eye, it may seem smaller, even though it's actually an identical size.'
The 'Moon illusion' is not the only thing that might look different about this week's Buck Moon, named after the Native American lunar calendar.
'When the moon is relatively low in the sky, the light from it passes through far more of the atmosphere,' Dr Brown explained. 'That means it has to pass through a lot of dust and pollution, particularly if you're in a big city.
'This will have the effect of scattering a lot of the blue light that's coming from the moon away, and leaving behind the yellow, the orange, and the red.
'So sometimes when the moon is low on the horizon, people can confuse that yellow colour with the a total lunar eclipse sometimes referred to as a Blood Moon.
'This is actually quite a different colour, but some people will be fooled into thinking that's what's going on, just because the moon will look this yellowy, maybe even slightly orange colour.'
Another interesting quirk of this week's full moon is that it will be the furthest away from the Sun of 2025.
Earth has just left Aphelion, which is the point in its orbit when it is most distant from the Sun.
As the Moon is loyal to us and goes where we go, it has also been at its furthest point away.
Dr Brown explains that the Earth's orbit is only slightly elliptical, elongating by only around 5 million kilometers from the average distance of 150 million kilometers from the Sun.
So this milestone won't have a major impact on how the Moon looks, but it will mean it is ever-so-slightly less bright (but you'd need speciaist instruments to notice this: the fact of it hanging low will have a bigger impact on brightness anyway).
Explaining why it will look lower down, he said it relates to the the ecliptic, the imaginary line tracing the Sun's apparent path across the sky: 'During any summer, the sun will be very high in the sky during the day.
'When the Earth spins around to look in the other direction, the full moon, which happens on the exact opposite side of the Earth from the sun, will be low in the sky.'
In winter this will be reversed, with the Moon appearing at its highest.
Astronomer Anna Gammon-Ross, also from the Royal Observatory, said: 'The Buck Moon is a name given to the full Moon that occurs in July.
'The name 'Buck Moon' came from a Native American system which uses the different months' full Moons as a calendar, to keep track of the seasons.
'This name indicates the time when male deer shed and regrow their antlers.
According to our astrologer Kerry King, the Full Moon in Capricorn will focus our minds on our careers, purpose, projects, and commitments. Where we serve others, or the wider world, in return for reward.
'We are all cogs in a bigger machine. What machine are you part of? And do you like it, feel fulfilled by it, and want to stick at it?
'Full Moons are always a time for reflection, consideration, completion, and planning. This Capricorn Full Moon is like a performance review from the cosmos—what's working, what's wasting your time, and what you're finally ready to promote or fire.'
Read her full horoscopes here.
The planetarium astronomer said: 'In 2025, the moment when the Moon will at its fullest will occur at 9.36pm on the 10th July.
'The Moon won't be visible from the UK at this time but it will rise in the east just a few minutes later at 9.45pm.
'It will look full all throughout this night, as it travels across the sky and sets in the west at 4.54am on the 11th July.
'There is no particular location you need to be to observe this event – as this is a bright full moon, as long as the night is clear of clouds, it will be easy to spot whether you are in a light-polluted city, or a dark area of countryside.'
Dr Brown added that if you do go moongazing, you could also have one of the last chances to spot Mars in the evening sky for a while.
'Early in the evening, when the moon is still very low on the horizon, on the other side of the sky towards the west, Mars will just be dropping below the horizon,' he said.
'It'll be very low on the horizon, but visible to the unaided eye as a deep orange-red point of light.
Over the next month or two it will move closer to the sun until it eventually reappears on the other side.
While that happens, 'it's going to be so close to the sun that it's going to be very, very difficult to see.'
If you look from midnight, you might also spy Saturn, which will be brightest at 2am.
Dr Brown said: 'If you happen to have a a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, you might just be able to catch the the rings around Saturn, which are very thin at the moment because we're seeing Saturn almost entirely edge on.
'It won't be long before Saturn's rings are invisible to all but the most powerful of telescopes.'
You might think that the full moon happens every month so what's the fuss, but the astronomer said: 'Having a look up at the sky every now and then is a really lovely thing to be able to do.
'The full moon is one of the the most accessible, easy-to-spot objects in the sky, very bright, very big, and doesn't require any special equipment to see.'
The full moon refers to any time the moon is at its biggest and roundest, but the Buck Moon only refers to the one in July, based on the Native American calendar.
The upcoming full moons, and their names, are as follows: July 10 : Buck Moon
: Buck Moon August 9 : Sturgeon Moon
: Sturgeon Moon September 7 : Corn Moon
: Corn Moon October 7 : Hunter's Moon
: Hunter's Moon November 5 : Beaver Moon
: Beaver Moon December 4: Cold Moon
Last month, we saw the Strawberry Moon, which got this name because the fruit is traditionally harvested in June. More Trending
The other full moons so far have beem: January 13 : Wolf Moon
: Wolf Moon February 12: Snow Moon
Snow Moon March 14: Worm Moon
Worm Moon April 13: Pink Moon
Pink Moon May 12: Flower Moon
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: What's my horoscope for today? July 8, 2025 astrological predictions for your star sign
MORE: What's my horoscope for today? July 7, 2025 astrological predictions for your star sign
MORE: What does the week have in store? Your tarot horoscope reading for July 7 to July 13
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Night Sky: There's still time to spot some noctilucent cloud activity
Nick managed to photograph the event as the Sun's rays reached out from far below the horizon, lighting up tiny frozen water droplets high up in the Earth's atmosphere. The result is this stunning image incorporating long wispy white clouds tinged with blue. Taken from the Latin for 'night-shining', the clouds can be seen a couple of hours after sunset looking to the northwest. One of the richest and most bountiful of the annual meteor displays is underway as the Perseids fire themselves up for another outburst in August. While the shower will be covered in more detail as we head toward the night when maximum activity is expected, meteors from the display have already commenced as the Earth ploughs through a field of rocky debris left by a comet. The densest part of the field will be encountered on the night of August 12 into August 13, when we could witness up to 150 meteors per hour. This is a perfect opportunity to see some celestial fireworks, all of which can be observed with the naked eye. While the position of Mars in the evening sky hasn't made for the best of viewing, there's a chance to spot both the red planet and a crescent Moon on Monday July 28, low above the western horizon at around 10pm. This will be one of the last opportunities to see Mars this year as during August it will slip into the twilight and won't be seen again until 2026. Meanwhile, the morning sky continues to be dominated by Venus. Space news, and the Hubble Space Telescope has caught the first glimpse of 3I/Atlas, just the third object humanity has witnessed entering our solar system from beyond its limits. The 12-mile-wide 'invader', larger than the asteroid that eventually led to the downfall of the dinosaurs, is due to pass Mars in October and Earth in December, both fly-bys posing no threat. Thought to have been formed seven billion years ago, 3I/Atlas is currently speeding through our solar system at 150,000 mph. Tuesday July 22 saw the Earth complete a spin on its axis at 1.34 milliseconds less than the standard 24 hours, making for the second fastest rotation since records began in 1973. For a significant part of Earth's history a day on Earth was approximately 19 hours long, but over time, the day has become constantly longer due to affects such as the relationship with the Moon and the associated tidal forces. However, just to buck the trend! Founded in 1975, Cardiff Astronomical Society currently has an exhibition running at Cardiff Museum. One of the largest and most active astronomical societies in the UK, the event, which showcases the work of the society throughout the decades and its established links to the community, is free to enter, running until October 31. Send your astrophotography pictures to: thenightsky@
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Mystery over 2,000-year-old shipwreck with ‘world's oldest computer' that inspired Indiana Jones as boat finally raised
The Antikythera wreck was first discovered in 1900 WRECK RIDDLE Mystery over 2,000-year-old shipwreck with 'world's oldest computer' that inspired Indiana Jones as boat finally raised Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE mystery deepens around the famous shipwreck that held the 2,000-year-old relic dubbed the "world's first computer". The Antikythera wreck sank in the first century BC off the Greek island that gave it its name, carrying a trove of treasure. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 A diver explores the second wreck site just off the Greek island of Antikythera for the first time in 2,000 years Credit: Credit: ESAG/UNIGE via Pen News 7 A drawing of an ancient ship with a skiff in tow from the House of the Ship Europa in Pompeii Credit: Credit: Pen News 7 The Antikythera Mechanism is believed to date back to around 80 BC in Ancient Greece Credit: Credit: Logg Tandy via Pen News 7 Among the precious artefacts was the Antikythera Mechanism - an unusual device whose purpose long been debated and which even inspired "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny". But researchers studying the shipwreck are now facing a new mystery after part of the wreck was recovered for the first time since 1976. The newly recovered timbers do not match those found in the 1970s - they differ in both size and construction. This has led scientists to consider the possibility that the Antikythera site may actually contain the remains of two separate shipwrecks - not just one. Read more world news ON THE BOTTOM Lost 300-yr-old ship with £101M worth of treasure FOUND off Madagascar coast Lorenz Baumer of the University of Geneva in Switzerland, who directed this year's expedition, said: 'The measures are different. 'The thickness of the planks found by Cousteau is around 10 centimetres, the ones we have measure around five - that's quite a difference. 'Now we have to find an explanation – is it another part of the ship? It's possible that they've been using thinner planks in upper parts, but that's pure speculation for now. 'Or is it – and for me this could be a possibility – a skiff. 'You see many of those merchant ships had smaller boats with them.' The Antikythera wreck was discovered in 1900 by Captain Dimitrios Kondos and his crew of sponge divers from the island of Symi. 7 The newly recovered timbers do not match those found in the 1970s, prompting scientists to question if there were two shipwrecks Credit: Credit: ESAG/UNIGE via Pen News Greek island offers to pay thousands to move there & you'll even get land Shortly after, over 300 other artefacts, including the Antikythera Mechanism, statues, coins and pieces of jewellery, were retrieved. For over a century, the mysterious device has left scientists scratching their heads. The conventional theory is that it was an ancient analogue device used to track the cycles of the Moon, Sun and planets and predict solar and lunar eclipses. Author Jo Marchant, who has written a book about the device, said it was 'probably the most exciting artefact that we have from the ancient world'. 7 A poster for 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' (2023), starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones Credit: ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. 7 A reconstruction of the Antikythera Mechanism on display at the exhibition of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens shows how sophisticated the device was Credit: AFP A fictional version of the device, renamed the Archimedes Dial, drives the plot in Harrison Ford's hit film, where Indiana Jones is shown diving at the Antikythera wreck. Dr Baumer said: 'It's total nonsense, but I was very well entertained I have to say.' But the theory that the ship carrying the mechanism was accompanied by a second ship has historical precedent. A technical drawing of two vessels - one towing the other - was found in Pompeii, inside the House of the Ship Europa, Dr Baumer said. He said: 'It's very detailed and very precise, so this drawing has been done by somebody who knows ships and also the technical parts. 'You see on the back of the Europa is hanging a smaller second ship.' He also mentioned the Biblical tale - when Paul the Apostle was shipwrecked off Malta, a lifeboat was launched from the main vessel. 'We have two wreck sites,' he said. 'Close to 200 meters southwards there is a huge field – it is all covered with amphorae. 'Chronologically the two sites go together so maybe these ships have been sailing together.' He added: 'We cannot tell if they sank one after the other, or if there was a couple of years, weeks, or days between them. 'But we see we are in about the same period.' The newly-recovered timbers have also revealed that the Antikythera wreck was already old when it sank. Analysis of the wood, which is elm and oak, dates it back to around 235 BC, whereas the ship didn't sink until around 80 BC. This year's expedition also uncovered a fragment of a sculpture depicting a nude male. Some believe the ship was doomed by the weight of the sculptures it carried. Dr Baumer said: 'It sunk very, very quickly because it was, in my opinion, totally overloaded. 'Whenever there's a storm in Antikythera, you're happy that you're not on board a ship, even a modern one. 'It is a very rocky coast, it's impossible to land, and you simply get broken up. There's no chance. 'Even now when the waves are too heavy, the ferry boats do not land on Antikythera – it's too dangerous.'
Metro
4 days ago
- Metro
Asteroid the size of the Tower of Pisa to make close approach with Earth in days
If you've always wanted to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, all you'll need to do is look up next week. An asteroid roughly the size of the famous Italian landmark is currently hurtling towards Earth at 46,908 miles per hour. The space rock, 2025 OW, will drift past our planet next Monday at a distance of 393,000 miles – about 1.6 times the distance to the Moon. Space officials estimate the rock is about 220 feet across, making it larger than the Leaning Tower of Pisa at 185 feet. 2025 OW is one of five 'planet-sized' asteroids getting up, close and personal with our planet over the next few days, Nasa says. The space agency's Asteroid Watch Dashboard says that 2025 OK1, which is estimated to be about 100 feet across, will fly past us today at a distance of 1,360,000 miles. Another airplane-sized asteroid, 2025-OZ, is also doing a drive-by visit of our home today. As you read this, it's about 3,340,000 miles away. On Saturday, two more giant asteroids will pass by Earth on Saturday: the 110-foot-wide 2025 OX will be 2,810,000 miles above your head. While 2025 OU1, about 140 feet across, will be slightly closer at 1,660,000 miles. But none of these rocks are anything to lose sleep over, astrophysicist, science journalist Alfredo Carpineti told Metro. 'There are over 13,000 near-Earth objects of comparative size that occasionally get near our planet,' the senior writer for IFLScience said. 'They could be dangerous if they hit Earth, but fortunately, these five will all fly well beyond the movement of the Moon.' Asteroids are lumps of rock, dust and metal left behind from the formation of our star system 4.6billion years ago. Most do laps around the Sun between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt, some as small as rubble, and others hundreds of miles in diameter. Earth will be slammed by an asteroid about 300 feet once a decade, while one 10 times the size impacts us every 700,000 years. A space rock measuring just 160 feet in diameter can easily devastate the local area and pockmark the Earth, unleashing a force similar to a nuclear bomb – these happen once a millennium. The so-called 'city-killer' asteroid, 2024 YR4, which officials briefly feared had a 3.1% chance of colliding with Earth, is suspected to be 300 feet across. Our planetary defence options include intentionally smashing a satellite into it to nudge it off course or detonating a nuclear bomb near it. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and the Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre in Italy keep an eye on all these rocks whizzing about. They calculate the odds of an asteroid impact as they plot out the possible orbits, which get more accurate as they observe them more. More Trending This is exactly the case with 2025 OW, with scientists being able to predict its orbit for the next century. As of July, Nasa has discovered more than 38,600 near-Earth asteroids, of which 872 are larger than a kilometre. At least seven wandered close to Earth last month alone, with Nasa keeping an eye on 1,798 near-Earth objects on its 'risk list', though all have next to no chance of striking Earth. 'Still,' continued Carpineti, 'it's important we keep tracking them to know we will stay safe in the future.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: We could get 'proof of aliens by Christmas' after 'interstellar visitor' flies past us MORE: Earth is spinning so fast that today will be shorter – but is time going faster? MORE: We're one step closer to living on the Moon – and it's thanks to something 'magic'
