The name “buck moon” is in reference to male deer, or bucks, which start to rapidly grow their antlers this time of year. This year’s buck moon reached its peak illumination at 4:37 p.m. ET on Thursday, which is when it was fully visible and low on the horizon for stargazers in North America.

The Moon looked spectacular over parts of the south on Thursday night. This particular Moon was a Buck Moon, a type of supermoon - when the Moon is closest to the Earth, and full. Monthly full Moons have different names,

It's officially summer, and with that comes the first full moon of the season. July's full moon -- known as the Buck Moon or the Thunder Moon -- will light up the night sky on July 10 and be at its fullest going into July 11.

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.

Experts say July’s full moon could reduce sleep by up to 20 minutes on the evening of the 10th and as much as 90 minutes in the days leading up to and following it. Scientists in Switzerland previously found that, on the night of the full moon, people take on average five more minutes to fall asleep.