Canada

Here’s what to know about tonight’s Buck Moon

By
Charlie Buckley

Published: 

A buck stands apart from his herd of fellow deer foraging for food, on protected land surrounding the federal facility, NCAR, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, in Boulder, Colo., Friday, Nov. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Tonight, stargazers can expect an eye-popping sight in the night sky. July’s full moon, sometimes called the Buck Moon, is rising.

So-named because it lines up with summer antler-growing season each year, the Buck Moon will reach its brightest at 4:37 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, though it notes the moon won’t actually be visible in the skies over North America until later this evening.

Coming into view between 9 and 11 p.m. local time tonight, the moon is expected to rise full, warm and bright.

You can check your local forecast for stargazing conditions at CTVNews.ca’s weather hub.

Judging by the photos circulating on social media last night, which still only showed the moon in its dimmer, waxing phase, stargazers could be in for a sight to behold when the Buck reaches its peak.

Other names for the Buck Moon, the almanac notes, include the Thunder Moon, Halfway Summer Moon, Feather Moulting Moon, Salmon Moon, Berry Moon, Raspberry Moon, Month of the Ripe Corn Moon and Moon When the Chokecherries are Ripe.