A Buck “supermoon” will grace the skies overnight Wednesday – the biggest one of the year – as our neighbour arrives arrives at its closest point to the Earth.
NASA says that when a full moon appears at the so-called perigee, in this case a distance of 357,264 kilometres away, it is larger than a regular full moon.
“The supermoon can be up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a full moon at its apogee (its farthest point),” NASA says.
Because the lunar orbit is not a perfect circle, but a slightly elongated ellipse, its distance from Earth changes.
We've spent today looking across the universe, so let's wrap it up with something a little closer to home.
— NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022
Keep an eye on the skies for the Buck Supermoon, our next full Moon, on July 13: https://t.co/H9EI3XIZOu pic.twitter.com/RMAqLw7Qxv
July’s supermoon is particularly special because our satellite is about 400km closer to Earth than an average supermoon.
To observe the phenomenon, sky-gazers will need to wait until sunset, and hope for a cloudless night.
In western Europe it will be visible between 10pm and 4am.
According to Space.com, astrologer Richard Nolle coined the phrase supermoon in a 1979 edition of Dell Horoscope, a now-defunct periodic American astrology magazine.
Nolle wrote that a full moon that is within 90 percent of its closest approach to Earth would benefit from the "super" branding.
Last month, during the night of 14-15 June, a “super strawberry Moon" was observable around the globe.
