Gibbous moon full#
So, when we see a bright Full Moon hanging crisp and clear in the sky above the horizon, it is contrasted by all of the objects on the ground, which appear smaller and blurrier the closer they are to the horizon. This close-up of the Harvest Moon was snapped in Calgary, AB, on September 13, 2019. From this, it also knows that for a distant object to appear in focus, it must be enormous. In contrast, distant objects tend to be tiny and blurry. Instead, the apparent size of the Moon when it is close to the horizon is due to a little trick of our mind known as The Moon Illusion.Īs our eyes take in the world around us, our brain knows from experience that objects close to us tend to appear larger and in focus. In fact, when the Moon is just above the horizon, it's actually around 6,300 kilometres farther away from you than when it is directly overhead. This is not something the Moon itself is doing, though. However, go out just after moonrise or before moonset to see the Moon at its biggest! Seeing the Full Moon at any time of night is a spectacular sight. Watch for Saturn to rise around midnight, local time, with Jupiter rising just after 2 a.m., local time.ĭON'T MISS: The best products for stargazing this summer The Mysterious Moon Illusion local time on July 3, 2023, shows the arrangement of Saturn and Jupiter along with the Super Buck Moon. Super Buck Moon Saturn Jupiter - JStellariumĪ view of the night sky at 3 a.m. In fact, it's unlikely you'll hear it outside of a discussion about the Moon's phases. Gibbous isn't exactly one of the most common words we use. READ MORE: Why is the supermoon so compelling to us? And what about a 'Gibbous' Moon? Much more often, we notice how much brighter the Moon is.Īccording to retired NASA scientist Fred Espenak, this supermoon is roughly 25 per cent brighter than February's apogee Full Moon (the farthest, smallest and dimmest Full Moon of this year), and nearly 13 per cent brighter than an average Full Moon, as we saw back in April or May. Without some way of direct comparison, it's challenging to notice precisely how big any particular Full Moon is compared to normal (and the Moon Illusion doesn't help us. July 3, we see the first, followed by the Full Moons on August 1, August 31, and September 29. The term was first used back in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle, who defined it as "a new or full moon which occurs with the Moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit (perigee)."ĭepending on the year, there can be between two and five supermoons. The biggest and brightest Full Moons are called Supermoons.
Thus, some Full Moons appear smaller and dimmer, while others look bigger and brighter in the sky. At other times it is farther away, and its farthest point in an orbit is known as apogee.Īlso, due to this elliptical orbit, throughout the year, each Full Moon we see occurs at a slightly different distance from Earth. So, that means sometimes the Moon is closer to Earth, and the nearest point it reaches in an orbit is known as perigee. Rather than a perfect circle, it instead follows an elliptical path around our planet. This apparent difference in size is due to the shape the Moon traces out as it orbits around Earth. Credit: Scott Sutherland/NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
Conversely, the Waning Gibbous, Waning Crescent, Waxing Crescent and Waxing Gibbous phases each occur over a range of dates. Note that while Full Moon, Last Quarter, New Moon, and First Quarter each occur on one specific day.
The size of the Moon changes from frame to frame, as it reaches perigee on July 4 and swings through apogee on July 20. Lightning safety tips: "When thunder roars, go indoors!" "They also called this the Thunder Moon because of early Summer's frequent thunderstorms." "Early summer is normally when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur," they wrote.
Nearly a century ago, the Maine Farmer's Almanac began using the term 'Buck Moon', attributing it to the Algonquin peoples of the northeastern United States. What is a 'Buck' Moon?Īccording to NASA, there are many names for this Full Moon. However, with the very subtle way that the Moon transitions from 'Gibbous' to 'Full' and back to 'Gibbous', to the casual observer, it can appear full for up to three days!Īt the very least, we will see the Full Moon on Sunday night through Monday morning and again on Monday night through Tuesday morning. The next Full Moon occurs at precisely 11:39 UTC on Monday, July 3 (7:39 a.m. Eyes to the sky on Sunday and Monday nights to see July's Super Buck Moon!Ĭheck your local forecast for clear weather because the first supermoon of 2023 will soon rise and shine in our night sky.
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