July Full Moon in Sunderland 2023: When will the Buck Moon appear and will it be a supermoon?

July has arrived, and despite only three days into the new month, one of the most exciting days is upon us with a new full moon. Stargazers in Sunderland will be hoping to catch a glimpse of the full moon, which is the first supermoon of the year.

This full moon is known as the ‘Buck Moon’, and will be the seventh full moon of the year. The Moon appears as different shapes in the sky depending on its ‘phase’, from new Moon to full Moon via ‘waxing’ (growing) and ‘waning’ (shrinking) moons. These phases are determined by the relative positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon.

Royal Museums Greenwich explains where the anime Buck Moon comes from. They say: “Male deer, which shed their antlers every year, begin to regrow them in July, hence the Native American name for July’s full moon. Some refer to this moon as the thunder moon, due to the summer storms in this month. Other names include the hay moon, after the July hay harvest.”

So, when will you be able to see the Buck Moon? Here’s everything you need to know about the celestial event in Sunderland.

Will the Buck Moon be a supermoon?

This year’s Buck Moon will be extra special as it will be the first supermoon of 2023. Royal Museums Greenwich explains how a supermoon comes to be, saying: “the distance between the Moon and the Earth varies, because the Earth is not right at the centre of the Moon’s orbit and the Moon’s orbit is not a circle (it’s an ellipse). The moment when the Moon is closest to the Earth is called a lunar perigee.

“When the Moon is furthest away it is known as a lunar apogee. If the lunar perigee occurs very close to a full moon, then we see a supermoon. If a lunar apogee occurs very close to a full moon then we see a micromoon.”

Will the supermoon be visible in Sunderland?

To be able to view the moon, you will need clear weather in order to see it in all of its glory. Luckily for Sunderland, the Met Office says the weather will be clear tonight after sunset at 9:45pm, meaning north East stargazers should get a good view.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon on July 3 will peak at 12.38pm in the UK, and is sometimes known as a ‘Buck Moon’. There will be 13 full moons throughout the year. They are:

• January 6: Wolf moon
• February 5: Snow moon
• March 7: Worm moon
• April 6: Pink moon
• May 5: Flower moon
• June 3: Strawberry moon
• July 3: Buck moon
• August 1: Sturgeon moon
• August 30: Blue moon
• September 29: Harvest moon
• October 28: Hunter’s moon
• November 27: Beaver moon
• December 26: Cold moon