When Does July's Full 'Buck' Moon Peak?
July's full moon, called the "Buck Moon," will reach peak illumination on Thursday, July 10 at 4:37 p.m. ET, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
However, for those of us located in the North America, the Buck Moon will be at its fullest while the moon is still below the horizon, so the best time to see the moon at its peak will be at moonrise, shortly after the sun sets Thursday evening. Just look toward the south-east at dusk in your time zone to watch it rise. You can also check out this moon calculator to figure out exactly when the Buck Moon will be visible in your area if you're unsure.
According to NASA, the best place to view the full moon rising will be in an area with an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon and free of lights, weather permitting. There will be no other planets visible during the full moon on Thursday, although Venus, Jupiter and Mars will make appearances later in the month, so keep an eye on the sky over the next few weeks.
Although the Buck moon reaches its peak today, it will still be visibly full through July 11, so if you can't catch it at its peak tonight, you'll still have a chance to enjoy the full moon in all its glory through Friday night.
“The nice thing about the full moon is it looks full about a day on either side of it, so on the night of the 9th, for instance, if you go out and look at the full moon, it will look effectively full. Similarly, if you miss it on the 10th, the night of the 11th it will also look fairly full,” said Noah Petro, chief of NASA’s Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Laboratory.
The Buck Moon is the farthest full moon from the sun all year and one of the lowest in the sky, second only to last month's Strawberry Moon on June 11, according to LiveScience. It is also the first full moon in the astrological summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
The full Moon in July is called the Buck Moon because the antlers of male deer, known as bucks, are in full growth-mode this time of year after their annual shed. The term Buck Moon is linked to various native American tribes, who also called it the Salmon Moon, the Rasbery Moon, and the Thunder Moon, according to Earth Sky. It was also dubbed the Hay Moon by the English due to its closeness to the midsummer harvest, and the Celtic called it the Claiming Moon, Wyrt Moon, Herb Moon and Mead Moon, among others.
The next full moon, the Sturgeon Moon, will rise on Saturday, August 9, followed by the Harvest Moon on September 7. Check out the dates of the last few full moons of 2025 below:
- Aug. 9- Sturgeon Moon
- Sept. 7- Harvest Moon
- Oct. 6- Hunter’s Moon
- Nov. 5- Beaver Moon
- Dec. 4- Cold Moon