The full moon of July—traditionally called the Buck Moon by several Indigenous peoples of North America—will reach peak illumination on Wednesday 29 July, marking the first full moon of the northern summer. According to multiple sources, the exact time of fullness depends on the observer’s time zone: a report from La Razón places it around 14:37 local time for parts of the Northern Hemisphere, while El Espectador gives 9:36 p.m. for Colombia and El Universal lists 8:36 p.m. for Mexico. The phenomenon will be visible to the naked eye across much of the globe, provided skies are clear.

The name derives from the period when male deer (bucks) begin growing new antlers, a cycle linked to hormonal changes and the shedding of velvet, as noted by astronomers interviewed in the Spanish-language press. In Russian media, astrophysicist Sergei Chumakov confirmed that the term originates from North American Indigenous traditions and is not an astronomical classification. The Buck Moon is also known in some traditions as the Thunder Moon or Hay Moon, referencing summer storms and hay harvesting, respectively.

Weather conditions will affect visibility. In Russia, the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy at the Institute of Space Research (IKI) warned that cloud cover was likely to obscure the view in the Moscow region. For optimal observation, experts recommend a location away from artificial light with a clear view of the eastern horizon, noting that the moon will appear lower in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere and may take on yellowish or reddish hues due to atmospheric scattering.

A related celestial event—the peak of the Southern delta-Aquariid meteor shower—is expected on the nights of 30 and 31 July, potentially offering up to 25 meteors per hour, according to Nathan Eismont, a leading researcher at IKI. The next full moon, known as the Sturgeon Moon, is due in late August, with sources differing on the exact date (27 or 28 August depending on time zone).