‘Buck’ supermoon to reach peak brightness Monday morning

The first of four supermoons this year will rise on Monday, appearing slightly larger and brighter in the night sky than normal.

The full moon, known this time of the year as the “buck moon,” will reach peak illumination by 7:39 a.m. EDT, as predicted by the Farmer’s Almanac.

The buck moon gets its name for the point in the year when male deer grow out their antlers.

It is also referred to as the “salmon moon” in reference to the timing of salmon runs, the Almanac says. Other names for the supermoon include the “thunder,” “hay,” “mead” and “rose” moon.

During a full moon, the sun is aligned with the Earth and moon in that order.

As a result, the light from the sun shines directly onto the area of the moon that is visible to people on Earth.

A supermoon, meanwhile, occurs due to the moon’s oval-shaped orbit.

As the moon follows its orbits, it reaches a point known as the apogee where it farthest from Earth and a point called the perigee where it is closest to Earth.

During a supermoon, the moon is at least 90 per cent of the way to its perigee position, at the same time as it is in a full-moon phase, making it appear larger and brighter.

The buck moon is the first supermoon of 2023 and will be followed by three more, including two in August — the “sturgeon moon” on Aug. 1 and the “blue moon” on Aug. 30 — and the “harvest moon” on Sept. 29.

Depending on local weather conditions, stargazers can view the supermoon by looking to the southeast after sunset.

Writing for The Weather Network, meteorologist Scott Sutherland says at the very least, the full moon will be visible Sunday night through Monday morning and again on Monday night through Tuesday morning.

With files from CNN