Full moons in the summer are so special!

It's true that they're nothing but trouble for serious stargazing as they whitewash the celestial dome, and their light can also encourage mosquitoes to bite a little longer into the night. Nonetheless, there's something so peaceful about watching that big orb rising in a bright coat of orange-red and gradually turning white as snow the higher it gets.

Remember all the hoopla about the “super moon” last month? It was without a doubt the closest, biggest and brightest full moon this year, but the full moon this month is pretty much just as big and bright although there's no media hype accompanying it.

In fact, the full moon this month over Butler is only about 875 miles farther away. No way could you tell the difference between last month and this month.

Another thing about the full moon this weekend is that it occurs on the 44th anniversary of Apollo 11, the first lunar landing in 1969.

I have such magical memories of that. I was 13 years old and watched Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon on a 12-inch black and white TV at Catholic Youth Camp near McGregor, Minn. It's a little sad, though, because this will be the first anniversary of that tremendous event after the passing of Armstrong, one my lifetime heroes.

The full moon each month has several nicknames that evolved mainly from American and Native American culture.

One name for the full moon this month is the “Buck Moon” because this is the time of year when the antlers of male deer are pushing out of their foreheads. Another name I like for the July full moon is the “Thunder Moon” because of the frequency of thunderstorms.

The moon's surface is about a 50/50 mix of heavily cratered white highlands with mountains and dark flat volcanic plains traditionally referred to as maria or seas.

A long time ago, many people thought those dark splotches were actually bodies of water. It was on one of the maria, the “Sea of Tranquillity,” that Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed and walked this weekend 44 years ago. I have their landing site marked on the photo accompanying this column.

Just like many of you, one of my favorite things to do when I gaze at any full moon is to try and spot the “man on the moon” among the dark blotches that are made by the maria.

To me, the man on the moon has multiple faces. I can see a sad face with dark sunken eyes. I also see a face with a surprised look, similar to the old 1970s and '80s vintage claymation character “Mr. Bill” from “Saturday Night Live.”

My favorite interpretation, though, is a kindly old man whose eyes reflect the wisdom of the ages, eyes that have seen it all on planet Earth. My man on the moon also has a satisfied and thoughtful grin. What kind of man on the moon do you see on the full moon?

There are also other images to be seen that are made up by the maria.

One of my favorites comes from Glen Chaple, a columnist in Astronomy Magazine. He sees a poodle made up by the dark lunar maria on the right side of the moon (the right as we see the moon). Do you see it?

There's also the classic upside down rabbit with his ears also on the right side of the moon's face. I think my absolute favorite image is one suggested to me recently by a Facebook friend, Linda Rawson, who sees a squirrel on the left side of the moon's face trying to balance a nut on a rock on the right.

No matter what you see in the maria of the moon, or even if you don't see anything at all, enjoy the magic of the summer moon — with mosquito repellent of course!

Celestial huggingAll this week, the planets Mars and Jupiter will be less than a degree apart. That's less than the width of your forefinger held at arm's length.Look in the early morning twilight around 5 a.m. in the low eastern sky. Jupiter is the brightest starlike object in that part of the sky with Mars just to the upper left of the largest planet in our solar system.It's worth getting up early to see.