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US: Full moon rises over San Francisco Bay creating dramatic visual scene
StringersHub / VideoElephant
Stargazers are in for a treat tonight as the first full moon of summer 2025 (aka the buck moon) creates an unusual illusion in the night sky.
A 'moon illusion' is a striking phenomenon that plays tricks on the mind, making the moon appear larger than usual with an orange glow.
As the moon hovers above the horizon, an optical illusion is created, your brain compares it to nearby objects like trees, buildings, or mountains, making it appear much bigger than when its far above in the empty sky.
To make the most of this sighting start looking at the full moon when its near the horizon, then view it through a cardboard tube to block out the surrounding objects and reduce the illusion.
 
 JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images
NASA has said the moon typically looks orange or red near the horizon because Earth’s thick atmosphere scatters blue light, letting the warmer colours through, which is also why sunsets look red.
The moon is furthest from the sun in 2025 on Thursday, just days after Earth hit aphelion, the point in its orbit farthest from the sun.
On average, the moon is about 92.9 million miles from the sun. But during the Buck Moon, it will be roughly 94.5 million miles away.
As the sun is still rising after June's summer solstice, which is the longest day time of the year, the moon will be hugging the horizon.
The moon's unusual low path is a direct result of its 18.6-year lunar cycle, known as a lunistice, a point when the moon's orbit tilts to its greatest angle relative to Earth's equator.
NASA explains this occurs because the moon's tilted orbit interacts with Earth's own tilted axis and orbit around the sun, causing long-term shifts in the moon's apparent trajectory.
The name 'Buck Moon' comes from a seasonal behaviour in North America when male deer, known as Buck, fully grows their new antlers.
Why not read…
- Strawberry Moon: Everything we know about the full moon sighting
- Man who promised his girlfriend the moon stole Apollo moon rocks
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