The full Buck Moon in July is a spectacular sight for skygazers. Once the sun sets, Angelenos will get to witness the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year. During the early hours of July 3, the moon will move to its closest point in relation to the Earth for the year.
This supermoon, also known as the Buck Moon, will reach peak illumination at 7:39 a.m., but due to the light, your best bet is to gaze up at sunset a day before or on the evening of the 3rd. You can use this calculator to find out what time moonrise and moonset will be.
A supermoon is a celestial event that describes the moon at its closest proximity to the Earth in its orbit (or reaches “perigee”). As a result, the moon appears to be bigger and brighter than usual. These seemingly magical moons tend to follow naming traditions that reflect occurrences happing in nature during the season. July’s full moon moniker is derived from the antlers of male deers (bucks) growing to their fullest around this time of year before being shed.
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac at its closest point, the Full Buck Supermoon will only be 222,089.3 miles from the Earth, surpassing last month’s Strawberry Moon by ~124 miles. And though the naked eye might not be able to tell, the supermoon will be 7% larger than a regular full moon.