The moon rises in the southeast sky on Thursday evening around 9 p.m. in both D.C. and San Francisco. July’s full moon — the first of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere — will reach peak illumination at 4:38 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, with best viewing during the predawn and again after dark in the evening.

While colorful fireworks were lighting up the sky during the past several days, this week the nighttime glow will come from the full July moon, nicknamed the “buck moon” or the “thunder moon.” The July moon will be officially turning full at 4:37 p.

July's full moon, known as the "Buck Moon," will rise on July 10 as the farthest full moon from the sun in 2025.