Monday will see the moon rising as a supermoon - the year's first - that will appear to be brighter in the night sky than any other full moon event, according to CNN. The full moon will reach its peak at 5.09pm IST on July 3 and will offer an exciting event for skygazers as they will see the lunar disk appearing larger and brighter in the night sky. Also called the Buck Moon, it will kick off a season of four supermoons in a row. In most years, there are 12 supermoons, but in 2023, there will be 13, with two occurring in August.
What is a supermoon?
Definition of the phenomenon varies, but the term generally denotes a full moon that is brighter and closer to Earth than normal.
According to astronomers, the phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90 per cent of perigee - the closest approach to Earth in orbit.
Citing the Old Farmer's Almanac, CNN said that the July 3 supermoon will be more luminous and 361,934 kilometres from Earth. This is more than 21,000km closer than the moon's average distance from us of around 384,400km.
What causes a supermoon?
Moon, like other planets, orbits the Earth in an elliptical orbit rather than a circular one, which causes its distance to vary. So, when the moon is closest to Earth, it appears much brighter and larger, hence the name supermoon.
A full moon during perigee will appear 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than a full moon during apogee (the point where it is the farthest from Earth).
A supermoon is also around 7 per cent larger and 15 per cent brighter than the average full Moon.
Why is it called the Buck Moon?
The term is prevalent in some parts of the world as new antlers begin to grow from the forehead of the buck deer at this time.
The deer shed their antlers in early spring or late winter, growing them in summer months.
Other full moons this year
The full moon today is the first in a series of full supermoons in a row: Sturgeon moon on August 1, blue moon on August 30, harvest moon on September 29, hunter's moon on October 28, beaver moon on November 27 and cold moon on December 26.
