Scottish stargazers are in luck, July’s supermoon is happening this week and here's how you can see it.
The full moon gets its name the Buck Moon because male deer shed and regrow their antlers at this time of year.
Its name came from a Native American system which uses the different months’ full moons as a calendar to keep track of the seasons, according to the planetarium astronomer at Royal Museums Greenwich, Anna Ross.
Here's everything you need to know about the Super Buck Moon and whether the skies will be clear enough for you to see it.
What is a supermoon?
A supermoon is when a full moon nears its closest point to the Earth in its orbit, Ms Ross explained.
This happens when the moon orbits the Earth on an elliptical path, rather than a circular one.
Ms Ross added: “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."
Looking to this supermoon, Ms Ross says that the Buck Moon will reach its closest and therefore will be its biggest and brightest on Wednesday, July 13 at 7.37 pm.
There is apparently no formal limit for how close the full moon needs to be deemed a supermoon.
The planetarium astronomer continued: “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.”
When is the best time to see the supermoon in the West of Scotland?
As mentioned above, the best time to see the supermoon this year is on the night of July 13.
Ms Ross recommends viewing the moon when it rises "in the east just after sunset" and when it sets "in the west a little before sunrise".
You can view the bright full moon in wherever you like but you will get the best view when "the night is clear of clouds" regardless of "whether you are in a light-polluted city or a dark area of countryside.”
Temperatures are currently the talk of the town, but how is the rest of the weather looking for the next few days ❓ pic.twitter.com/LLKRBQnJNJ
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 11, 2022
The Royal Astronomical Society’s deputy executive director Dr Robert Massey said that “there are a lot of these” supermoons, but went on to say: “The moon is a beautiful object – it is a fantastic thing, go out and look at it and enjoy the view.”
The moonrise in Scotland on Wednesday is around 10:30pm.
He added: “So 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.”
For the full and hour-by-hour forecasts in your area, visit the Met Office website.
