On Wednesday evening, you will have a decent chance of viewing the largest and brightest moon of the year if you gaze up into the sky.
Similar to last month’s “Strawberry Moon,” the full “Buck Moon” will be classified as a “super moon.”
This is due to the Moon’s proximity to the perigee, the closest point in its orbit around Earth, which causes it to appear larger and brighter.
At 21:47 BST, the moon will rise in the south-east as seen from the United Kingdom.
Due to the elliptical nature of the Moon’s orbit around the Earth, our distance from it is continually shifting.
A planetarium astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, Tania de Sales Marques, stated that a full Moon at perigee seemed approximately 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a full Moon at apogee – when the Moon is farthest from Earth in its orbit.
In the seconds right following moonrise, the Moon will appear even larger due to an optical illusion is known as the “Moon Illusion,” she noted.
She stated, “For those with an unobstructed horizon, the rising Moon might be quite a sight.”
Why is it called Buck Moon?
NASA cites the Maine Farmer’s Almanac in stating that Algonquin Native Americans of what is now the northeast United States referred to the full Moon in July as a “Buck Moon.” This is because it appears when buck deer grow new antlers.
Europeans dubbed it the “Hay Moon” due to the harvesting of hay at this time of year.
Nasa reports that July is also Guru Full Moon for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, a period when the mind is cleansed and the guru or spiritual master is honored.
Astrologer Richard Nolle created the phrase “supermoon” in 1979.
