Did the moon look much bigger and brighter than normal to you Monday night? You’re not alone.
Dazzling images from around the world captured the first supermoon of the year, called the “Buck Moon,” which rose on Monday morning and reached its peak illumination at 7:39 am ET.
A supermoon is a term describing a full moon that occurs when it is within 90 per cent of its closest point to Earth. The “Buck Moon” got as close as 361,934 kilometres from the Earth.
If you didn’t get a chance to catch it yet, it will be visible and appear full until Tuesday evening, according to NASA.
July’s “Buck Moon” is one of four supermoons that will light up the skies this year, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which tracks lunar events.
The Almanac has named it the “Buck Moon” after bucks, the antlers of male deer, which are in full-growth mode at this time of the year.
“While a supermoon is technically bigger and brighter than a regular full moon, it only appears about 7 per cent larger — which can be an imperceptible difference to the human eye, depending on other conditions,” it says on Almanac’s website.
The next supermoon, called the “Sturgeon Moon,” will be visible on Aug. 1, reaching its peak illumination in the afternoon.
In total, there will be two supermoon sightings next month, with the “Blue Moon” visible on Aug. 30 at night, getting as close as 357,344 kilometres from Earth.
Your last chance to look at a supermoon this year will come on Sept. 29 with the “Harvest Moon” peaking in the morning.
Meanwhile, here’s a look at photos of the “Buck Moon” taken around the world in case you missed it Monday.
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