Skywatchers worldwide will have a clear target on Thursday, July 10, when the Buck Moon rises as the first full moon of northern summer and the most distant full moon from the Sun in 2025, according to NASA and the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The Moon reaches peak illumination at 4:37 p.m. Eastern Time (20:37 GMT) but will appear full to the naked eye on the evenings of July 9–11. In the Northern Hemisphere it will hug the horizon—an effect of the Moon’s approach to a major 18.6-year lunar standstill—while observers south of the equator will see it climbing higher in the sky. July’s full moon is popularly called the Buck Moon because male deer begin growing new antlers at this time of year. Other traditional names include Thunder Moon and Salmon Moon. No special equipment is required to enjoy the view, though binoculars can enhance surface details such as the Tycho crater and the lunar maria. The Buck Moon anchors a busy month for night-sky enthusiasts: Mercury is at greatest eastern elongation on July 4; a crescent Moon sweeps past Saturn and Neptune before dawn on July 16 and brushes the Pleiades on July 20; and the Southern δ-Aquariid meteor shower is forecast to peak from July 29 to 31, potentially producing about 25 meteors an hour under dark skies.