Tonight’s full buck moon marks summer's first full moon in the Northern Hemisphere. It will rise opposite Mars, appear orange on the horizon and carve a very low path.

This year, the Buck Moon follows Earth's aphelion, the point in its orbit farthest from the Sun, by just a few days, according to Space.com. That makes it the full moon farthest from the Sun in 2025, a result of orbital geometry rather than distance from Earth.

Skywatchers may have a harder time spotting July's full moon in Iowa. The evening of Wednesday, July 9, is expected to have 50-80% cloud cover across the state with some thunderstorms possible starting in western Iowa around 10 p.m. and moving across the state through the night, according to the National Weather Service.

The Buck moon, or July's full moon, may also be referred to as the thunder moon, due to the frequent thunderstorms during the summer, or the hay moon, in honor of the hay harvest in July. Anyone can see the moon no matter where they are in the world. In Central Florida, the moon will be visible beginning at 4:37 p.m.

Some plants can photosynthesise using nightglow, traditionally comprising moonlight, starlight and the light reflected from planets. Increasingly, artificial light at night, known as light pollution, contributes to this background illumination.

While high or low clouds are expected in various areas across Michigan overnight July 10, forecasters expect the buck moon to remain visible in most regions in the early part of the night, per the weather service. No, the buck moon is not a supermoon.

July 2025's Full Moon occurs at exactly 20:39 UTC, or 4:39 p.m. EDT, on the 10th. This view of the Buck Moon was captured by Matt Melnyk on July 13, 2022 from Calgary, Alberta, and uploaded to The Weather Network's UGC gallery.

This full moon earned its name from the frequent thunderstorms that rumble across North America over the course of July.