Full Buck Moon To Shine Over Virginia: When To Watch

VIRGINIA — The July full buck moon, named because it comes as male deer begin to grow velvety antlers, will reach 100 percent fullness at 10:37 p.m. Friday.

It could look more colorful than usual — particles in the atmosphere from wildfires in the west may cause the moon to appear orange.

July's full moon is sometimes called the full hay moon since it occurs during haymaking season, or the full thunder moon because of the prevalence of thunderstorms in July.

If you thought the moon seemed full already, you are not mistaken — it is likely to appear full Thursday night through Sunday morning, according to NASA. Friday night is when it will actually be "full," meaning the Earth is perfectly situated between the sun and the moon, and the sun completely illuminates the moon's surface facing the Earth.

Planets are also part of the show this weekend. Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mars may be visible around the buck moon, according to NASA. Saturn may look slightly above the moon Friday night.

Jupiter is likely to appear to the left of the moon Saturday, with Saturn on the right.

Friday looks to be the best night for skywatching of the weekend in Virginia. Temperatures will drop to the high 60s overnight.

It is supposed to be mostly clear in northern Virginia Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service, while Saturday and Sunday look to be partly cloudy.

Here is the northern Virginia forecast from the National Weather Service:

In addition to the lunar and planetary activity overhead, there are two meteor showers underway.

Aquariids And Perseid Meteor Showers

The Delta Aquariids meteor shower runs from July 12 to Aug. 23. Produced by debris left behind by the Marsden and Kracht comets, the Aquariids shower is known for producing fireballs.

It peaks July 29 and will produce about 10 to 20 shooting stars an hour. Harsh light from a waning gibbous moon will likely wash out a good number of the meteors, which are faint to begin with because the shower favors the Southern Hemisphere, according to Earthsky.org.

To see the Delta Aquariids, it’s best to head outside between midnight and dawn, regardless of where you live.

Meteors from the Delta Aquariids will continue to fire through about Aug. 23, intersecting with the Perseids, often regarded as the best meteor shower of the year.

The Perseid meteor shower runs from July 17 to Aug. 24.

Because the bright moon will wane during the first week of August, viewing conditions should be ideal for the Perseid peak, which is slated for Aug. 11 to 12.

Skywatchers will be able to see about 100 shooting stars an hour during the Perseid shower if skies are clear, NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke told Space.com. Under typical conditions, he said, people should be able to see one meteor every minute.

He expects 2021 to be a stellar year for the Perseids.

“The Perseids are rich in fireballs, so they’ll be bright,” Cooke said.

Cooke, who leads the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said meteor shower watching requires an investment in time and preparation.

Here are some tips:

• Get as far away from city lights as possible.
• Give your eyes about 30 to 45 minutes to adapt to the darkness.
• Take in as much of the sky as possible; take along a reclining lawn chair or a blanket and lie flat on your back.
• It can be helpful to find the radiant point (for the Perseids, that’s the prominent constellation of Perseus; for the Delta Aquariids, it’s the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer). But avoid staring directly at it. The longer streaks are visible farther away from the radiant point.

Also, Cooke told Space.com, ditch the cell phone.

“The bright screen can throw a wrench in your efforts to adjust your night vision,” he said. “My suggestion to my friends who want to observe meteors is, leave your phone inside.”

So, if you see a meteor in July and August, how do you determine whether the shooting star is a Delta Aquariid or a Perseid?

If you really want to distinguish a Delta Aquariid from a Perseid meteor, the short answer is that the former appear to fly from the south and the Perseids from the north-northeast.

Related: 2021 Guide To Meteor Showers And Supermoons

Full Moon Schedule For The Rest Of 2021

After the buck moon, five more full moons remain for 2021. Here's a bit about each.

Aug. 22, full moon, seasonal blue moon: Also known as the full sturgeon moon, the green corn moon and the grain moon, the August full moon is a blue moon under the earliest definition of the phrase because it's the third of four full moons between the summer solstice and autumnal equinox.

Sept. 20, full moon: Also known as the full harvest moon because it occurs close to the fall equinox, but also known as the corn moon.

Oct. 20, full moon: Also known as the full hunters moon, the travel moon and the blood moon.

Nov. 19, full moon: Also known as the full beaver moon, the frosty moon and the dark moon.

Dec. 19, full moon: Also known as the full cold moon, the long nights moon and the moon before Yule.

— By Beth Dalbey and Elizabeth Janney