Supermoon Returns to Local Skies July 22

Grab your telescope for a night under the stars on Monday. Or, opt to leave it at home to catch a glimpse of the upcoming supermoon.

The above-average moon will materialize in the sky on Monday, July 22 at 2:16 p.m. A supermoon occurs when the moon’s full phase coincides with its closest distance to the earth for the month, known as the perigee. July’s full moon will occur one day after its perigee, earning the typically daily event the word “super.”

You may recall hearing this phrase the previous two months, marking the July supermoon as the third of 2013. The most prominent supermoon of the year occurred on June 23, 2013, when the full moon overlapped with its perigee for both the month and year.

This pinnacle moment will not occur again until August 2014.The ideal time to view the super moon at its fullest is within the first few minutes of the moonrise on July 22. According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the moonrise will take place at approximately 5:08 p.m, and the moon will set at 3:57 a.m. the following day.

You should be able to see the moon because the National Weather Service forecast calls for a clear night with lows in the upper 50s in the Seattle area.