Copyright ©2025 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.
While birding last week I saw a Cassin’s Finch chick being fed by its parent and made several images of it. Unfortunately, they were facing me with the sun to their backs and in my face. So, the image isn’t great but, what is… is what I discovered once I uploaded my images.
Off to the right of the birds is a satellite flare. I think it’s a Starlink flare/glint which would be the first time I’ve photographed one of those.
Regarding this next image- A friend had been sharing his images of the Moon several days ago with me so, the other evening when I saw the Moon shining out my living room window I was inspired to get up and photograph it.
Here’s the moon at 82.7% percent full. A waxing Gibbous Moon from July 6th.
The bottom crater is Tycho. I really like its crusty textured bits. I know the other large crater off on the left below the Sea of Showers is the Copernicus Crater. I wish I didn’t need a poster to help me every single time with the other sea and crater names, but I do.
July’s Full Moon is called the Buck Moon. It also has several other names like Thunder Moon, and Hay Moon.
The Full Moon this month is July 10th.
Fun Facts:
This full moon coincides with a Major Lunar Standstill in 2025, making the moon appear especially low in the sky after sunset due to its orbital path and the recent summer solstice.
- It will be the farthest full moon from the Sun in 2025, occurring shortly after Earth reached aphelion — the point in its orbit farthest from the Sun.
- In some regions, such as India, the full moon coincides with Guru Purnima, a spiritually significant event, enhancing its cultural importance.
- The Buck Moon gets its name from the Algonquin-speaking Native American tribes, as July is the time when male deer (bucks) begin to grow new antlers covered in velvet, symbolizing renewal and growth.
Fun facts gleaned from Space.com
Nikon D850| Nikkor 500mm PF-e| Processed with Photoshop CC
more to come…
Circadianreflections Blog 
Awesome photos looking up! Are you getting any wildfire smoke? The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is near us and almost 4,000 acres have burned with 0% containment as of this morning. There are several other fires in SW Colorado too. So sad.
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Gorgeous photography! I had no idea the moon held such value to certain nationalities and religions. Also that bird is VERY cool!
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Lovely photos, Deborah!
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Thank you so much, Jennie!
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You’re welcome, Deborah!
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Moon photo so clear. Very interesting post Deborah I shall look at the moon with new eyes tonight
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Thank you so much, Pauline! I hope it’s a clear night and a pretty full moon for you. 😊
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Interesting facts about the moon I never knew Deborah. I love photographing a full moon also it is quite impressive. I love seeing Venus in our southern sky, our Morning Star, each morning now in Winter as I rise before sunrise. Thanks for sharing these interesting insights.
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Thank you, Ashley! Your morning sky view with Venus in it sounds beautiful.
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That’s a wonderful moonshot, Deborah! Very interesting information as well.
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Thank you so much, Belinda!
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Interesting facts about the “Buck” moon. I enjoyed seeing your bird photos too. I saw a male Goldfinch in our bird bath a couple of days ago. They are so beautiful and striking in color. We rarely see birds in our bird bath. Lol!
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Thank you, Jill! How exciting about the Goldfinch in your birdbath. I hope it keeps coming for a bath.
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Great photos as usual, Deborah. I had to hunt but finally found the glare. Very interesting.
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Thank you so much, John!
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😀
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hello – great photos today and the moon, waxing Gibbous Moon, reminded me of when my son2 was learning about moon phases and how fun that was – and your poster sounds like it is very helpful
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Thank you so much, Yvette!!😊
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🙂🙂
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Oh how I enjoyed this lovely look at the moon with your photo, Deborah, and all the information, too. Fun to see the satellite flair but not to be outdone by the spotting of a Cassin’s finch adult and chick. Wonderful variety of sky beauty.
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Thank you so much, Jet! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. 😊
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These are lovely photos, Deborah and I really appreciate the celestial observations and information you added. Pretty cool capturing the satellite flare.
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Thank you so much, Dan! It was a neat surprise to see that flare. A daytime one too that’s rare.
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An astronomical post this week! I really had to search for the glare, but there it is! 🙂 The moon-shot is wonderful. I didn’t know about the different names for the several moons. Buck moon is cool! And, while Neil Young is touring Europe’ I think about his album called Harvest Moon. Is that one of them? Oh, and now my associating mind wanders off to the Tom Waits song ‘Grapefruit moon’, But that no doubt is a poetic view, albeit a quite beautiful one.
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I’ve never heard of Grapefruit Moon, but there is a Pink Moon. It’s April’s Full Moon for the pink flowers that bloom in early spring. My brain went to the color pink when I think of Grapefruit…the pink ones are my favorites. They were $3 a pound at the farmers market last week-end. I wouldn’t buy one they’re out of season but, my friend did. She said it was dry.
My mind wandered off into the weeds as well. I hope your week is going well, Peter!
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Such a beautiful way of seeing the world!
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Thank you so much, LaShelle! 😊
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Speaking of the moon: “July 9 will be the shortest day in recorded history — blame it on the moon, scientists say: ‘We’re in a very unusual time.’”
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I had read that we are spinning a wee bit faster but, not that today would be the shortest day in recorded history. I doubt I’ll even notice that 1.3-1.6 millisecond. I’ve known for what seems like forever that the Moon affects our tides, and gravity. I hadn’t cemented in my head that it plays a big part of our rotation/speed as well.
I went down a rabbit hole on Earth’s rotational speed and found this. We speed up, and slow down.
“The moon’s gravitational pull slows down the Earth’s rotation, in a phenomenon known as “tidal braking” at a rate of 2.3 milliseconds each century, so — in theory — a sunny day in 2115 will be 2.3 milliseconds longer than today. Going back 1.4 billion years ago, a day was roughly only 18 hours because the moon was closer to Earth, according to a 2018 study.
This isn’t a huge problem for the next few generations of calendar makers, but when you look at things from a million-to-billion-year-perspective, it might matter. However, some scientists believe that the 2.3-millisecond-per-century rate is not consistent because of ongoing changes in the Earth’s oceans and continents over time.”https://www.treehugger.com/how-moons-gravity-influences-earth-4863962
We’re always evolving and changing. Our planet and universe are amazing and mysterious aren’t they.
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Interesting. I didn’t know why the July full moon is called what it is. I’ll be looking for it tomorrow, if the clouds let me get a glimpse.
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Isn’t it interesting. Every Full Moon has a different name. There are many months throughout the year that I have clouds covering it as well. I hope you get to see it!
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I couldn’t name a single crater or sea on the moon, or point to any whose name I happen to remember, but I do know that, rather than seeing a ‘man’ in the moon, the Japanese see a rabbit. Looking at this image of the moon, I see Kokopelli.
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You’ve probably heard of the Sea of Tranquility, and the Sea of Serenity. I know their names but, I can’t remember which dark blob on the Moon is which. The big one on the far left I remember as the Sea of Showers.
A sideways Kokopelli? I can see that. A Rabbit? I don’t see that.
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