Today, July 16, 2019, marks 50 years since NASA launched the Apollo 11 lunar mission. In case you need another reason to look up at the skies on this date, Moon Tonight will be very special. This is the only full moon in July, and in some parts of the world, it appears in a partially orbited, making it a rare half – blooded thunder moon, according to Space.com.
The meaning of the moon makes no sense with thunder with light clouds and storms. The full moon of each month of the calendar year gets a unique nickname from folklore. January is a wolf moon, March is a worm moon, and June is a strawberry moon. The full moon that appears in July is called a thunderous moon, as there are frequent storm surges at this time of year, but it can also be referred to as a buck moon because it is July when deer antlers at the highest level.
There is another feature worth Moon Tonight to see. Starting at 2:43 pm EDT, the Moon enters a partial lunar eclipse. This means that part of the full moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, causing one part of it to appear darker than the rest. The blood-filled moon is called the full moon because of the red color it takes on in the shadow of our planet. Tonight’s event isn’t an eclipse-filled event, so it’s called a half-blood moon though it may not take on a copper tone. The partial lunar eclipse reaches its peak at 5:30 pm EDT, and ends at 8:17 pm Unfortunately that means that the eclipse will not be seen from the US, but spectators in Europe, Africa , South America and parts of Asia you can see the full show.
July is shaping up to be an exciting month for stars. On July 9, Saturn reached the front, leaving it looking particularly large and bright in the night sky. The planet is no longer visible, but it will be easy to see with the naked eye from here through September. If you’re already planning on looking at the Moon tonight, here’s how to find Saturn at once.
[h/t Space.com]