Did you see the first full Moon of summer 2022?
Rising in the east on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, the full “Buck Moon,” “Thunder Moon” or “Raspberry Moon” was captured by photographers as it appeared on the horizon.
Super moon rises over in Idlib, Syria as children sit on scrap car at the junk yard on July 13, … [+]
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The full Moon always rises in the east at dusk (opposite a sunset, or thereabouts) and sets in the west the following morning (opposite a sunrise). Only on the night of the full Moon is it possible to see the Moon appear on the horizon during dusk.
The waxing gibbous moon rises over the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) at the Giza Pyramids … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
The “Buck Moon” looked orange as it appeared in the east. That’s because when we see it so low in the sky we’re looking through the thickest part of Earth’s atmosphere.
A view of the Supermoon also called the Buck Moon, seen from India Gate on July 13, 2022 in New … [+]
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
The physics at play here is Rayleigh scattering. Earth’s atmosphere contains oxygen and nitrogen molecules that absorb some wavelengths of light more effectively than others. So why does orange dominate the light that makes it to your eyes when you watch a moonrise?
A super moon known as the “Buck Moon” rises over Oresund Strait in the village of Taarbaek, some 15 … [+]
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Colors in the Sun’s light with short wavelengths, such as blue, strike more particles and are therefore more often absorbed. They scatter more easily, which is why the sky is blue during the day. Colors with longer wavelengths, such orange, more easily pass through the atmosphere uninhibited.
A supermoon, the “Buck Moon,” rises over Graves light house in the Boston Harbor islands as seen … [+]
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The “Buck Moon” was also the second-largest “supermoon” of the year after last nth’s “Strawberry Moon.” The Moon’s orbit path around Earth is slightly elliptical, so there’s always a point every month—called perigee—when it’s at its closest to us. At that point it looks about 6% larger than the average.
The full ‘Buck’ super moon rises above Beirut’s landmark Martyrs’ Statue in the downtown area of … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
The “Buck Moon” was at perigee on the same day as it turned full. While the full Moon occurred at 6:38 p.m. UTC, the Moon reached perigee at 9:06 a.m. UTC when it was 221,993 miles/357,264 kilometers from Earth.
The Super Moon called the ‘Buck Moon’ rises in the sky of Rieti. In Rieti, Italy, 13 July 2022. … [+]
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Although a supermoon it’s technically slightly larger in the sky, it’s extremely hard for the casual observer to detect any change. However, a full Moon when viewed on the horizon does look large.
The full “Buck Supermoon” above Rome, Italy as captured by Gianluca Masi at the … [+]
Gianluca Masi/Virtual Telescope Project (used with permission)
That’s because of the “Moon illusion,” which is when the human brain sees disc of the moon on the horizon during dusk and compares its size to other things it can see, such as trees and buildings.
The full Buck Supermoon or Thunder Moon rises above lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in … [+]
Corbis via Getty Images
After all, the apparent diameter of the Moon is only 0.5º and that doesn’t change much during a “supermoon.” The celestial sphere around our planet is 360º, and from any one place on Earth you can see 180º. At 0.5º the full Moon fills just one 72,000th of what you can see.
Full moon rises over the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque and Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkiye on July 14, … [+]
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The next full Moon is the “Sturgeon Moon”—also called the “Fruit Moon” and the “Barley Moon”—which will rise on Thursday/Friday, August 11/12, 2022.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
