Stargazers will be able to spot the final supermoon of 2022 fairly easily if the skies remain clear on Wednesday night.
We've already had a worm moon, a wolf moon, a snow moon, and last month's strawberry supermoon this year; with July's full moon both a Buck Moon and a supermoon. Supermoons occur as a result of the full moon occurring when it's near to its closest point to the Earth in its orbit, with tomorrow's the last time this will happen for more than a year.
Anna Ross, a planetarium astronomer at Royal Museums Greenwich in south-east London, said: "As a supermoon means that the moon is a little closer to us, it will appear slightly bigger in the sky. The apparent difference between the size of the full moon at its closest and farthest points is only around 14% and, although if you were on the moon its brightness wouldn’t change, being that bit closer, it also overall appears to be around 30% brighter to us here on Earth.
"The average distance of the moon from the Earth is 384,400km, but the Moon will reach its closest point this lunar month on the 13th July at 09:08, when it will be 357,264 km away. Depending on your definition, you could say that 2022 has two, three or four supermoons, with everyone seeming to be in agreement that June and July’s full moons will both be super."
The Royal Astronomical Society's deputy executive director Dr Robert Massey said "there is a lot of these" supermoons, but added: "The moon is a beautiful object - it is a fantastic thing, go out and look at it and enjoy the view.
Where can I see the supermoon?
Anna Ross said: "The best time to view this supermoon will be any time during the night of July 13, when the moon will rise in the east just after sunset, and set in the west a little before sunrise. There is no particular location you need to be to observe this event as this is a bright full moon. As long as the night is clear of clouds it will be easy to spot whether you are in a light-polluted city or a dark area of countryside."
At the time of writing, the Met Office predicts that Wednesday night will be partly cloud by night time, with temperatures between 15 and 16°C
When is the Buck Moon?
The exact moment of the full moon closest to Earth is on Wednesday July 13 at 7.37pm, but the moonrise time from Newcastle is not until 10.20pm. Dr Robert Massey added: "That’s when you should start looking but to see it then of course you need a perfect horizon, so you need to be looking out over a very flat landscape or the sea."
Why is it called a Buck Moon?
July's full moon is known as the Buck Moon because male deer shed and regrow their antlers around this time of year. The name comes from a Native American system which uses the different months' full moons to keep track of the seasons.
Is there a Buck Moon every year?
Yes, the Buck Moon happens every July.
When is the next supermoon?
Wednesday's supermoon is the final one of 2022 and your last chance to see the phenomenon until August 1 2023, according to the Royal Observatory.
Where are you going to observe the last supermoon of 2022? Let us know!
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