Stargazers are being told to look up to the skies on Monday night as the first supermoon of the year is expected to shine.
The supermoon, also known as the buck moon, will reach its peak illumination at around 9.39 pm (AEST) on Monday July 3, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
This means Australians should be able to view the moon on Monday night if local weather conditions allow.
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While there is no single definition, the term supermoon generally refers to a full moon that appears brighter and larger than other moons because it is in its closest orbit to Earth.
“As the moon goes around the Earth, it’s not a perfect circle. So, there are points in its orbit where it’s a little bit closer or a little bit farther from the Earth,” Dr Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University, told CNN.
When the orb reaches its full moon phase at a point in its path where it is closer to the Earth, it appears to be slightly larger, and a supermoon occurs, Schmoll explained.
While the size difference between a supermoon and a typical full moon may not be immediately apparent to the naked eye, the first supermoon will be more luminous and closer to Earth.
Full moons and supermoons for 2023
While most years have 12 full moons, 2023 will have 13 of these lunar events.
There will be two supermoons in August, including a blue moon, which will be the closest moon to Earth this year, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The fourth and final supermoon in 2023 will rise on September 29.
Here are the full moons remaining in 2023, according to the Farmer’s Almanac:
● August 1: Sturgeon moon
● August 30: Blue moon
● September 29: Harvest moon
● October 28: Hunter’s moon
● November 27: Beaver moon
● December 26: Cold moon
– With CNN
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