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After Earth touched the farthest distance from Sun, it seems to be drawn to the Moon like ancient tales. The lunar body will come closest to Earth on July 13 as the supermoon appears in the skies above the planet.
At its closest, the Moon will be just 3,57,264 kilometres away from the planet. While the full Moon may appear for a couple of days, the completeness will be momentarily in reality.
The supermoon could have tidal effects on the planet leading to a large range of high and low ocean tides. Astronomers expect that coastal storms at sea around this time could lead to aggravated coastal flooding.
WHAT IS A SUPERMOON?
A supermoon does not mean that the lunar object will have some special powers, instead, it means that it will appear a bit bigger than before and even a bit brighter than seen before.
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This phenomenon is due to the Moon coming close to Earth in its orbit, a position known as perigee. The term supermoon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 and refers to either a new or full moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90% of perigee, its closest approach to Earth.
The waxing gibbous moon rises in the countryside of the village of Tal Sallur in the rebel-held Afrin region of Syria’s northern Aleppo province on June 13, 2022, a day ahead of the June “strawberry supermoon”. (Photo: AFP)
With the Moon orbiting the Earth in an elliptical path, the farthest point in this ellipse is called the apogee and is about 4,05,500 kilometres from Earth on average.
BIGGEST SUPERMOON OF 2022
The Supermoon observed on July 13 will be the biggest of the year and is also known as the buck moon. According to timeanddate, the full moon is given the name buck moon due to antlers that emerge from a buck’s forehead around this time of the year.
Its other names across the world include Thunder Moon, Hay Moon, and Wyrt Moon. Native Americans also call it Salmon Moon, Raspberry Moon, and Calming Moon.
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WHEN CAN YOU SEE THE SUPERMOON?
The buck supermoon will be visible at 12:07 am on the night of July 13. It will next appear a year later, on July 3, 2023.
The last supermoon of the year was seen in June this year, known as the strawberry moon. At the time, the Moon was 3,63,300 kilometres from Earth.
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