A buck moon, followed by a popular meteor shower. When to see them from Kansas soon

A full “buck” moon will peak over Kansas soon, and Wichita residents can also catch the beginnings of a popular meteor shower later this month.

The buck moon will become full at 5:17 a.m. Central Daylight Time Sunday, the Old Farmer’s Almanac reports, but you might get a better view after sunset.

Wichita will see the sun set at 8:46 p.m. Sunday , according to online calendar Time and Date. Since the summer solstice has passed, sunset times will creep up earlier throughout the rest of the summer and into fall.

July’s full moon is known as the buck moon because this time of year is when male deer’s antlers are in full-growth mode, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The buck full moon is also known as the “thunder” moon , astronomy publication Space.com reports. Many moon names come from Indigenous cultures. The Farmers’ Almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.

The Kansas Astronomical Observers will host a meeting and stargazing event (weather-permitting) outside Lake Afton Public Observatory from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Visitors are welcome.

As of Friday, the National Weather Service forecasts Wichita has a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms Saturday night and a 20% chance Sunday night, with lows around 66 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

More full moons in 2024

Here’s when to see the rest of 2024’s full moons , with information from Space.com:

• Aug. 19: Sturgeon moon (supermoon and blue moon)

• Sept. 17: Harvest moon (supermoon and partial lunar eclipse)

• Oct. 17: Hunter’s moon (supermoon)

• Nov. 15: Beaver moon (supermoon)

• Dec. 15: Cold moon

The Perseid meteor shower is set to begin July 25, according to Space.com, though the early stages will only see a few meteors per hour at most. The shower will peak around Aug. 11 and Aug. 12 and taper down around Aug. 18.

This year is expected to offer good viewing opportunities for the Perseids because the moon shouldn’t be bright enough to greatly interfere, Space.com reports.