It is time for another treat for skywatchers!
July’s Buckmoon will be the biggest supermoon that can be seen this year.
On Wednesday, July 13th, the moon will be at perigee, when the moon’s orbit will come closer to the Earth making it appear bigger and brighter. At its closest, the Moon will be only 3,57,264 kilometres away from the Earth. This year, the supermoon will occur at aphelion (i.e., when the Sun is farthest from the Earth).
The July supermoon is commonly referred to as Buck Moon because this is the time bucks (male deers) grow new antlers.
When we say this is the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year, don’t expect the moon to look super big.
In reality, the moon will appear only about 14% bigger and 30% brighter (ie, an increase in the moon’s illuminance by 0.28 magnitude). This difference is hardly perceptible to the human eye, so the moon will look pretty much like any other full moon, except that you know it is a Super Buck moon!
HOW & WHEN TO WATCH
The closest supermoon occurs on July 13th, ie., today, reaching peak illumination at 2:38 PM EDT. Look towards the southeast to watch the moon rise after sunset.
If you miss it today, don’t fret as you will be able to watch it tomorrow night too. The moon will appear full through early Friday morning.
Supermoons can be viewed with the naked eye and don’t need any visual aid.