July's Full Buck Moon Is 2022's Brightest Supermoon: When To Watch

ACROSS AMERICA — Summer nights are perfect to stare at the moon, and folks who enjoy such dreamy pursuits are in for a special treat with the full buck moon early next week: It’s a supermoon.

Not only that, the July full moon will be the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year. It reaches peak illumination at 2:39 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time Wednesday but will be well below the horizon when that happens. Plan on looking toward the southeast sky after sunset to see it rise in the sky.

And not only that, meteor showers are starting up again. The Delta Aquariids start Tuesday and continue through Aug. 2, peaking July 28-29. Moonless skies will make the peak worth catching.

Back to the supermoon: Whether you’ll be able to see it depends on the weather. AccuWeather offers guidance on what to expect.

The full moon reaches perigee — that is, its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit — at 5:06 a.m. EDT on Wednesday.

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If you miss it, there’s one more chance this summer to see a full moon that qualifies as a supermoon. The full sturgeon moon in August will also be a supermoon.

Supermoon isn’t an astronomical term, but one coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 to explain the effect of perigee — the moon’s closest approach to Earth in a given orbit — when it occurs during a full moon.

The July full moon is called a bull buck moon because it’s the time of year the antlers of male deer are in full growth. Deer shed and regrow their antlers every year, “producing a larger and more impressive set as the years go by,” according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

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