The celestial marker serves as the final full moon before the August 12 eclipse event.
Skywatchers across North America and the Northern Hemisphere are preparing for July’s astronomical highlight. According to Forbes, the full Buck Moon will turn full on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. The best views for observers in North America will occur as the moon rises in the southeast during dusk.
The Strawberry Moon reaches its exact full phase at 10:37 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, while it remains below the horizon from the perspective of North America, according to Forbes. Because of this daytime peak, the ideal time for viewing is the evening of Wednesday, July 29, at moonrise.
Forbes notes that July’s full moon is most commonly called the Buck Moon in North America, referencing the time of year when male deer antlers are in full growth. Indigenous naming traditions also apply to this lunar event. According to the Almanac cited by Forbes, the Cree people know it as the Feather Moulting Moon, while the Tlingit people refer to it as the Salmon Moon.
Timing across the United States is particularly favorable for evening observers.
To experience the full moon at its best, Forbes suggests finding an elevated location, an open field, or a coastline featuring a clear view of the southeastern horizon. Observers watching the night before moonrise will catch the moon coming up while the sky remains bright, whereas viewing the night after will feature a much later moonrise against a dark sky.
The upcoming lunar event is the final full moon before a major celestial lineup. Two weeks after shining fully lit in Earth’s night sky, the Buck Moon will enter its new moon phase and pass directly in front of the sun, generating a total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, according to Forbes. This event stands as one of the biggest sky events of the year.
During the eclipse, the moon’s dark central shadow will sweep across a path stretching from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. Forbes reports that the path of totality crosses northern Russia, eastern Greenland, western Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean, northern Spain, and a small northeastern corner of Portugal. Totality will last up to roughly 2 minutes and 18 seconds near Iceland.
Observers positioned within the path of totality can remove eclipse glasses exclusively during the period of totality to view the sun’s corona, its faint outer atmosphere, with the naked eye. However, Forbes emphasizes that certified eclipse glasses or solar filters are essential during all partial phases, which will be visible across much of Europe, northwestern Africa, Canada, and parts of the northern United States. Additionally, the eclipse coincides with the peak of the Perseids meteor shower overnight on August 12–13.
The Buck Moon is the eighth of 13 full moons occurring throughout 2026, according to Forbes. This frequency happens because a solar year lasts approximately 365 days, while a lunar year spans about 354 days, leading certain calendar years to host 13 full moons.
Following July’s event, the next full moon will be the Sturgeon Moon on Friday, August 28, 2026. Forbes notes that this August event coincides with a deep partial lunar eclipse, marking the best lunar eclipse visible anywhere on Earth until December 31, 2028. During the August 27–28 window, a large part of the moon will pass into Earth’s dark umbral shadow, creating a dimmed, reddish-orange appearance without reaching full totality.
Worth a look