Topline
The first full moon of summer in the Northern Hemisphere — the buck moon — rose into the night sky late on Thursday, July 10. Appearing in the southeast just as Mars was setting in the west, Saturn joined it in the night sky shortly after. Here are all the best photos from around the world.
Key Facts
On Thursday, July 10, the full buck moon appeared on the southeast horizon during dusk, as seen around the world. It turned 100% full at 4:38 p.m. EDT.
The seventh full moon of 2025 was one of the lowest-hanging of the year, skimming the southern horizon and setting in the southwest close to sunrise.
It was the first full moon of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere and of fall in the Southern Hemisphere. As the closest full moon to aphelion on July 3, the buck moon was also the farthest from the sun in 2025.
July’s buck moon is named for the new antlers sprouting on male deer during July in the Northern Hemisphere, though it’s also called the thunder and hay moon in North America.
The buck moon coincided with Saturn rising before midnight for the first time in 2025.
Why The Buck Moon Hung So Low
By definition, a full moon occurs opposite the sun. It, therefore, mirrors the sun’s position in the sky in each hemisphere. Since the sun is currently close to its highest (summer solstice occurred on June 20), the full moon is close to its lowest. As a result, the buck moon never rose far above the horizon, creating excellent conditions for dramatic photos.
Why Full Moons Look So Large
The moon orbits Earth in a slight ellipse, so a full moon can sometimes be slightly closer than usual — a supermoon. However, it’s just a fraction different and barely noticeable. What makes the full moon look so large is the “moon illusion,” which NASA says is a trick of the human brain. The illusion is caused by the moon being seen close to the horizon, where trees and buildings give the human brain context.
The Color Of A Full Moon
The buck moon looked orange as it appeared on the horizon as sunlight reflected off the moon’s surface and was filtered by Earth’s atmosphere. It’s the same phenomenon responsible for red and orange sunsets. When the moon is low in the sky, its light has to travel through the thickest part of Earth’s atmosphere. Along the way, shorter-wavelength blue light is scattered in all directions by air molecules and particles, while the longer-wavelength red and orange light passes through more easily.
The Next Full Moon
This buck moon was the seventh of twelve full moons in 2025. It will be followed by the sturgeon moon, the second full moon of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer, on Saturday, August 9.
