If you look out towards the southeast at 9.28 pm on July 13 you’ll see a beautiful Buck Moon illuminating the skies above Dublin. It will be the brightest and biggest moon so far this year because it will be just 357,272km away from Earth.
The Buck Moon will appear 7% larger than usual and it will be at its brightest just after sunset but we’ll have to wait for the moon to rise above the horizon to actually see it in the sky. Although there may be some clouds over the city we’re hoping that it won’t obscure our view too much on what’s set to be a fairly warm evening with lows of 11°C.
What is a supermoon?
The moon orbits Earth in an elliptical orbit, meaning that it moves around the Earth in an oval shape. On July 13 it will be the closest it ever gets to Earth and at the same time, the moon will be full. This is why it appears 7% larger and 15% brighter to us on Earth.
The ‘Buck Moon‘ happens because, as Science Focus explains it:
‘Two days before full, on Monday 11 July, the Moon will pass 3° north of Antares, the brightest star in the zodiac constellation Scorpius. Two days after full, on 15 July, the Moon will pass 4.1° south of Saturn, which is currently nestled in the constellation Capricornus.’
Honestly, we don’t know one constellation from another so thank god for astronomers. All we know is that the moon will be big, bright and incredibly beautiful on Wednesday, so look out at the sky after sunset because after Friday you won’t see another of its kind until July 13, 2023.