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July’s Buck Moon to Appear Unusually Low and Large

Observers will see July’s full moon at aphelion during a major lunar standstill.

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July Full Moon 2025 - Buck Moon
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Overview

  • The moon will reach peak illumination at 4:37 p.m. ET on July 10 but won’t rise in the southeast until shortly after sunset, offering skywatchers a clear two-night window to observe it.
  • Coming just days after Earth’s aphelion, this full moon will be the most distant from the sun in 2025, making its appearance slightly smaller in true size.
  • A Major Lunar Standstill—an event that occurs every 18.6 years—will tilt the moon’s path low across the horizon, enhancing its prominence at moonrise.
  • Skywatchers can expect the Moon Illusion to magnify its size at the horizon, and Rayleigh scattering may tint it reddish-gold when it appears low in the sky.
  • Also known as the Salmon Moon, Berry Moon and Thunder Moon, the Buck Moon’s names derive from 19th-century almanacs that adapted Indigenous and agrarian seasonal lore.