Scottish stargazers are in for a treat as a "supermoon" is expected to appear bigger and brighter in Scotland on Wednesday night. Provided the skies stay clear, the sublime display should be visible across the UK.
Last month, June's Strawberry Moon appeared in the sky. This full moon stuck out due to its reddish, pink hues, which explain its name.
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 came from a Native American system which uses the different months' full moons as a calendar to keep track of the seasons, according to said Anna Ross, a planetarium astronomer at Royal Museums Greenwich, London.
Here is everything to know about the Buck Super Moon, including how to see it tomorrow night and what weather to expect
What is a supermoon?
According to Ms Ross, a supermoon is the result of a full moon occurring when it is near its closest point to the Earth in its orbit. This can happen because the moon orbits the Earth on an elliptical path, rather than a circular one.
She added: "A supermoon means that as 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 July 13 at 9.08am, when it will be 357,264 km away. The exact moment of the full moon closest to this point is also on July 13, but at 7:37pm.
She says there is no formal limit to how close the full moon needs to be to the Earth to count as a supermoon, adding: "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."
Where can you see the Super Buck Moon in Scotland?
Mrs Ross advised that the Super Buck Moon will be visible on the night of Wednesday, July 13. The good news is you can see it from any part of the country as long as the skies are clear.
She said: "The best time to view this supermoon will be any time during the night of the 13th July, 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."
While supermoons are not super-rare, experts say they are a sight not to be missed.
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."
According to Massey, on Wednesday the moonrise time in Edinburgh is 10.35pm and 9.48pm in London. 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."
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