Ah, the moon. The Earth’s only (natural) satellite and our closest big space thing seems both so close and so far. But sometimes it’s closer than usual. At certain points in the year, the moon becomes a ‘supermoon’, appearing much bigger and brighter in the night sky.
Avid moongazers, it’s time to get excited. Following last month’s mighty strawberry moon (find out all about that here), this weekend will see the first supermoon of the year. It’s called the ‘Super Buck Moon’ – here’s everything you need to know about it.
What is a Super Buck Moon?
The Buck Moon is the name given to July’s full moon. It was apparently named by Native American tribes because it’s the time of year when the horns of male deer grow the most. This year’s Buck Moon coincides with a supermoon, which marks when the moon is closest in its orbit to the Earth and looks bigger and brighter than usual. In short: ‘Buck Moon’ plus ‘supermoon’ equals ‘Super Buck Moon’.
When is the first July supermoon?
July’s supermoon is also the first supermoon of 2023, and it takes place on July 2.
When is the best time to see the Buck Moon in the UK?
The best time to catch the moon in the UK is at sunset on July 2. Sunset will be at 9.21pm, with moonrise from 9.13pm. It’ll also be worth a look the day after on July 3, from 10.14pm onwards.
When is the next supermoon?
The next supermoon is the Super Sturgeon Moon, on August 1.
How often do supermoons occur?
There are four supermoons every year. This year in the northern hemisphere, those will be the Super Buck Moon (July 2), Super Sturgeon Moon (August 1), Super Blue Moon (August 1) and Super Harvest Moon (September 29).
Happy moongazing!
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