Full Buck Moon Is A Supermoon: When To Watch In Wisconsin

WISCONSIN — Wisconsinites who love dreamy pursuits like staring at the moon on a summer night will be in for a treat early next week with the full buck moon.

The July supermoon will be the biggest and brightest of the year. It's set to reach peak illumination at 1:39 p.m. on Wednesday, but it will be well below the horizon when that happens. To see it rise, plan on looking toward the southeast sky just before sunset. The moon will rise that evening around 7:42 p.m.

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’s Wednesday forecast calls for the possibility of afternoon thunderstorms in the Milwaukee area.

The full moon reaches perigee — that is, its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit — at 4:06 a.m. on Wednesday.

Related: 2022 Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons, Other Celestial Events

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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