Copyright ©2026 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.
Waxing Gibbous Moon, June 23, 2026. 72% illuminated.
I like this phase of the Moon because you can really see the crusty craters along the edges.
Seas in view are from top left moving diagonally across the Moon are-
Sea of Rains, Sea of Serenity, Sea of Tranquility, Sea of Fertility, Sea of Nectar, and Sea of Crises.
Update: I thought it would be a good idea to share with you that I’ve learned something new about the Moon while putting this post together. I’ve learned there are 23 seas and 1 ocean! Early astronomers thought they were bodies of water, but we know now they’re flat plains of solidified basaltic lava.
In my image you can see 10 possibly 11 of the seas.
There’s an International Observe the Moon Night this year. On September 19th one maybe able to observe and identify 15 of the Lunar Seas, and some landing sites on the near side of the Moon. https://science.nasa.gov/moon/observe-the-moon-night/moon-map/
I’m adding that to my calendar.
The full Moon this month is on the 29th and it’s called the Strawberry Moon. It’s called the Strawberry Moon because it’s peak season for harvesting Strawberries in parts of the USA and Canada.
Happy mid week!
more to come…
Circadianreflections Blog 
I so enjoyed learning about the moon seas, Deborah, and your photo is exquisite. I like that you put International Observe the Moon Night on your calendar. Cheers to you!
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Fantastic Deborah!!
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It must take a lot of waxing to polish the moon, given how big it is.
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Wow! I admire how well you can capture the moon! I’ve tried many times and just can’t get a clean image. 👍🏻❤️
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Thank you so much, John! Have you ever used a tripod? I almost always use one for evening and night Moon shots. Using a telephoto lens is hard to keep steady even with vibration reduction features in the lens and body.
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I have used them but not for a long time now. You are right, the anti-shake mode doesn’t always compensate for your hand movement. Maybe I should pick up a nice tripod again…
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I would! It opens up the evening and night photographic opportunities! 😊
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Thank you! 😊
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I’ve never known the moon was so poetic! Sea of Rains, Sea of Serenity, Sea of Tranquility, Sea of Fertility, Sea of Nectar, and Sea of… Crises. Last one perhaps did raise some eyebrows. 🙂 Beautiful picture Deborah!
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😊I learned something as well. There are 23 named seas, and 1 ocean. They were once thought to be bodies of water but, they’re flat plains of solidified basaltic lava.
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That’s a beautiful photo of the moon. Thanks for the information about the seas. I didn’t know there was a sea of nectar or crises.
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Thank you so much, Dan. Right! The two I grew up hearing the most called out are the Sea of Tranquility, and the Sea of Serenity. I’ve learned something new as well. There are 23 seas and 1 ocean! I think you can see 10 possibly 11 in my image.
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