The moon rises in the southeast sky on Thursday evening around 9 p.m. in both D.C. and San Francisco. July’s full moon — the first of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere — will reach peak illumination at 4:38 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, with best viewing during the predawn and again after dark in the evening.

July’s full 'Buck Moon' rises close to aphelion, making it the furthest full moon from the sun in 2025. The July full moon, known as the 'Buck Moon' will rise on Thursday, July 10 and put on a spectacular show for both stargazers and astrophotographers alike.

The Old Farmer's Almanac, which began publishing full moon names in the 1930s, says some Native American tribes called July's full moon the "buck moon" because it occurs in early summer, when male deer (bucks) typically begin growing new antlers covered in velvety fur.