When to watch tonight's full moon: What is July 2025 buck moon in Capricorn sign meaning?

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21 hours ago

One of the lowest-hanging full moons of the year rises this week in the sign of Capricorn as the Mercury Retrograde nears. Here's everything to know about July's buck moon and what it means.
A full moon is one of the lunar phases where the entire visible side of the moon, facing Earth, is illuminated by the sun. It's all about the alignment; Earth's position is between the sun and the moon, causing the entire near side of the moon to reflect the sunlight.
Full moons happen every 29.5 days and typically once per month. On the rare occasion we get two full moons in the month it's called a blue moon — hence, the saying 'once in a blue moon.' The next one will occur on May 31, 2026.
Here's what to know about July's full buck moon, the moon phases and when is the Mercury Retrograde.
The buck moon reached peak illumination at 4:37 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, 2025, according to the Almanac.
To catch a glimpse, find a location with unobstructed views of the horizon.
Click here to see moonrise and moonset times in your area.
Mercury will be in apparent retrograde motion during July 17 through August 10. This is a period when, from our perspective on Earth, the planet Mercury appears to move backward in the sky - an optical illusion, as it doesn't actually change direction in its orbit.
The planet closest to the sun orbits much faster than Earth ... so when Earth passes Mercury in their respective orbits, it creates the illusion that Mercury is moving backwards. This Retrograde phenomena typically happens three to four times a year.
Mercury is associated with communication, travel and technology and astrologers have long associated these Retrograde periods with increased miscommunications, delays and technological difficulties, according the Almanac.
🌓 First Quarter: July 2.
🌕 Full Moon: July 10.
🌗 Last Quarter: July 18.
🌑 New Moon: July 24.
July's full is known as as the buck moon because the antlers of male deer (bucks) are in full-growth mode at this time of year, according to the Almanac. Bucks shed and regrow their antlers every year, with a larger and more impressive rack as they get older.
The buck moon name is derived from Native American traditions, where the full moon names often track or reflect the changes in seasons, natural rhythms of the year or animal behaviors and names them accordingly.
The zodiac sign of July's buck moon falls in the earth sign of Capricorn, which sits opposite the water sign Cancer on the zodiac axis.
The August full moon, known as the sturgeon moon, will be visible on Aug. 9, 2025.
Winter solstice 2025, which marks the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, will occur on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, 10:03 a.m. Eastern.
Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 will be the shortest day of this year, with approximately 9 hours 17 minutes of daylight.
To check how many hours of sunlight you'll get and the sunrise/sunset times in your area, click here.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: What is tonight's full buck moon sign meaning? July 2025 moon phases