Almanac Astrology

Full Buck Moon: Supermoon in July 2023

Behold the Full Buck Supermoon!
By Catherine Boeckmann

July’s full Buck Moon is coming up—rising after sunrise on Monday,
July 3… the eve of Independence Day! This is also a supermoon that will
appear bigger than many other Full Moons this year. Find out when to look
for this month’s Moon and also why we call it the Buck Moon.
When to See the Full Moon in July 2023
July’s full Buck Moon will rise on Monday, July 3, reaching peak illumination
at 7:39 A.M. Eastern Time. It will be below the horizon at that time,
so plan to look towards the southeast after sunset to watch it rise into the sky.
Being the day before the Fourth of July, it should make for dazzling fireworks
displays!
Behold the Full Buck Supermoon!
July’s full Buck Moon orbits closer to Earth than many of the other full
Moons this year, making one of the four supermoons of 2023! At its nearest
point, the Buck Moon will be 224,895.4 miles (361,934 km) from Earth,
which means that August’s Blue Moon will be the only supermoon that is
closer to our planet this year.
While a supermoon is technically bigger and brighter than a regular full
Moon, it only appears about 7% larger—which can be an imperceptible difference
to the human eye, depending on other conditions.
Why Is It Called the Buck Moon?
The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a
number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European
sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire
lunar month in which it occurred, not solely to the full Moon.
The Buck Moon
The full Moon in July is called the Buck Moon because the antlers of
male deer (bucks) are in full-growth mode at this time. Bucks shed and
regrow their antlers each year, producing a larger and more impressive set as
the years go by.

July’s Full Buck Moon Video
In this video, we explain the traditional names
of the Full Moon along with some fascinating
Moon facts. Learn about the Full Buck Moon, why
July is such an important month in Moon history,
and how scientists measure the distance from
Earth to the Moon. Scan the QR code to watch the
video.

Moon Phases for July 2023
Note that the Moon phase dates/times below are in EDT.

Alternative July Moon Names
Several other names for this month’s Moon also reference animals,
including Feather Moulting Moon (Cree) and Salmon Moon, a Tlingit term
indicating when fish returned to the area and were ready to be harvested.
Plants are also featured prominently in July’s Moon names. Some of our
favorites are Berry Moon (Anishinaabe), Moon When the Chokecherries are
Ripe (Dakota), Month of the Ripe Corn Moon (Cherokee), and Raspberry
Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe).
Thunder Moon (Western Abenaki) and Halfway Summer Moon (Anishinaabe)
are alternative variants that refer to the stormy weather and summer
season.

Best Days in July 2023
Below are the best days for activities, based on the Moon’s sign and
phase in July.

Moon Facts
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to step foot on
the Moon. He also placed the U.S. flag there.
On July 31, 1999, the ashes of the astrogeologist Eugene Shoemaker
were deposited on the Moon.
We leave you with a poem by James N. Matthews (1852–1910):
“A moon-flooded prairie; a straying
Of leal-hearted lovers; a baying
Of far away watching dogs; a dreaming
Of brown-fisted farmers; a gleaming
Of fireflies eddying nigh, —
And that is July!”