Skygazers can look toward the horizon this week to catch a glimpse of the full moon around its peak illumination.
This month’s full moon, also called the buck moon, will be at its fullest at around 4:37 p.m. ET on Thursday, according to EarthSky. That is, of course, during a time when the moon is below the horizon for people in North America, who can catch their best views of the peak a few hours after sunset, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
“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.
Historically, July’s full moon is called the buck moon because it aligns with the time of year where the antlers of male deer, or bucks, are quickly growing, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Other monikers for July’s full moon from Indigenous tribes are indicative of the summer season. The Cree, located primarily in Canada, know it as the molting moon to indicate the time of year when birds are shedding their feathers, while the Tlingit tribe in the Pacific Northwest Coast call it the salmon moon to signify the seasonal salmon migrations.
Weather permitting, the best place to view the moon will be in an area with an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon, Petro added. It’s also recommended to avoid areas with bright lights.
Keep an eye on the planets
Although no planets will be visible during the full moon, Venus, Jupiter and Mars will make appearances in the night sky toward the end of the month, according to NASA.
On July 21 and 22, Venus and Jupiter will be visible low on the horizon before sunrise. The planets will appear alongside the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters, as well as the star Aldebaran, according to EarthSky. Stargazers should plan to wake early to view the captivating morning scene.
The following week, Mars will appear right next to the crescent moon on July 28 and will be visible during the first hour or two after sunset, according to NASA.
July also marks a historic occasion: the 60th anniversary of the first successful flyby of Mars in 1965. NASA’s Mariner 4 craft captured images of the red planet during that flight — the first photos of another planet from space.
Upcoming full moons
Look out for five more full moons this year, with supermoons occurring in October, November and December.
Here’s the list of full moons remaining in 2025, according to the Farmers’ Almanac:
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August 9: Sturgeon moon
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September 7: Corn moon
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October 6: Harvest moon
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November 5: Beaver moon
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December 4: Cold moon
Lunar and solar eclipses in 2025
Two eclipse events will emerge in the sky as summer ends.
A total lunar eclipse will be visible in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of eastern South America, Alaska and Antarctica on September 7 and 8, according to Time and Date.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly into Earth’s shadow and the three celestial objects — the sun, Earth and the moon — line up. This causes the moon to appear darker or dimmed.
When the moon sits in the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, the sun’s rays peek out from behind the moon and give it a reddish hue, according to London’s Natural History Museum. Some people call the result a “blood moon.”
Two weeks after the total lunar eclipse, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Australia, the Atlantic, the Pacific and Antarctica on September 21.
Solar eclipses occur when the moon moves between the sun and Earth. In this case, the moon will not fully block out the sun, which means only part of the sun’s surface will be blocked off, according to NASA. This creates a crescent shape in which it looks like something took a “bite” out of the sun.
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