The full buck moon is on the rise, folks — peaking on Thursday, July 10th at 4:36 PM EST at 18 degrees of Capricorn. Symbolized by the ever-striving, keep on climbing sea goat — this moon is a summons to stand tall and still and gauge how far up the proverbial mountain we have come and how much further we have yet to go.

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.

This year, the Buck Moon follows Earth's aphelion, the point in its orbit farthest from the Sun, by just a few days, according to Space.com. That makes it the full moon farthest from the Sun in 2025, a result of orbital geometry rather than distance from Earth.