18 Spectacular Photos Of July’s Buck Moon And Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

This is a great time for astronomy fans, moon aficionados, stargazing amateurs and photographers all levels to look for the moon in the sky at night.

The full moon of the month, better known as “Buck Moon,” has been dazzling across the planet with its luminous display — which was enhanced on Sunday by the spectacle of what’s known as a “penumbral lunar eclipse,” which occurs when the moon passes into the lightest part of the Earth’s shadow, the penumbra, and the lunar surface appears to dim lightly.

This month’s full moon was at its peak on July 5 at 12:44 a.m EDT and photographers around the world filled their viewfinders with great images.

According to NASA’s SkyCal, the subtle eclipse was visible to observers from western Europe, Africa, most of North America, all of South America and as far west as New Zealand.

July’s full moon is known as the Buck Moon because it occurs around the time when young male deer grow their antlers. But it’s also graced with many other nicknames by different cultures including “Thunder Moon,” “Hay Moon,” “Mead Moon,” “Rose Moon,” ‘Elk Moon and ‘Summer Moon.”