Full Buck Supermoon: Will NJ Skies Be Clear To See It?

NEW JERSEY — Warm nights are a great time for amateur astronomers to indulge checking out the evening skies.

If you're one of those who enjoy gazing at the moon and the stars, this week will bring a special treat with the full buck moon early next week: It’s a supermoon.

The buck moon, the July full moon, will be the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year. It reaches peak illumination at 2:39 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time Wednesday but will be well below the horizon when that happens. Plan on looking toward the southeast sky after sunset to see it rise in the sky.

Of course, in New Jersey whether we will be able to see it is uncertain. There are thunderstorms in the forecast for Wednesday, according to AccuWeather's forecast, which also is predicting 25 percent cloud cover.

If you miss the full moon on Wednesday, there are other reasons to check out the night sky in the coming days and weeks.

Meteor showers are firing up, with the Delta Aquariids start Tuesday and continue through Aug. 2, peaking July 28-29. Moonless skies will make the peak worth catching.

Back to the supermoon: If the weather cooperates, the full moon reaches perigee — that is, its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit — at 5:06 a.m. EDT on Wednesday.

• Related: 2022 Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons, Other Celestial Events

If you miss it, there’s one more chance this summer to see a full moon that qualifies as a supermoon. The full sturgeon moon in August will also be a supermoon.

Supermoon isn’t an astronomical term, but one coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 to explain the effect of perigee — the moon’s closest approach to Earth in a given orbit — when it occurs during a full moon.

The July full moon is called a full buck moon because it’s the time of year the antlers of male deer are in full growth. Deer shed and regrow their antlers every year, “producing a larger and more impressive set as the years go by,” according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

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