Why does the moon look so bright tonight? When and what to know about July 2025 full buck moon in Capricorn sign meaning — before Mercury Retrograde

The name “buck moon” is in reference to male deer, or bucks, which start to rapidly grow their antlers this time of year. This year’s buck moon reached its peak illumination at 4:37 p.m. ET on Thursday, which is when it was fully visible and low on the horizon for stargazers in North America.

Several planets stand still in the sky, Titan’s shadow transits Saturn, and Venus gives Taurus a second eye in the sky this week.

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.

Because this full moon is in Capricorn, issues around structure, ambition, and goals will come into focus as well as hard work, discipline, and responsibility. This may not sound exciting, but look at it this way: This full moon in July, also called the “Thunder Moon,” will enable and encourage us to get our lives in order.

Experts say July’s full moon could reduce sleep by up to 20 minutes on the evening of the 10th and as much as 90 minutes in the days leading up to and following it. Scientists in Switzerland previously found that, on the night of the full moon, people take on average five more minutes to fall asleep.

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.