‘Largest Supermoon of the year’ in SA tonight

The Super Buck Moon, tonight’s Supermoon, is said to be the largest one of the year. Here are all the details and when to see it in SA…

Tonight is no ordinary night on the calendar: A new Supermoon – also referred to as a Super Buck Moon this time – will be visible in the skies above South Africa on Wednesday. We’ve done our best to answer five commonly-occurring questions about the major celestial event.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TONIGHT’S SUPER BUCK MOON

WHAT TIME WILL I BE ABLE TO SEE THE SUPERMOON IN SOUTH AFRICA?

It’s estimated that the orb will reach peak illumination when full at 20:37 SAST, and will remain visible throughout the night.

HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?

There’s good news for star-gazers who are looking for something more than a one-night thing. The Supermoon should be at its best and brightest for three nights in total. And no, you won’t need binoculars or a telescope to enjoy this spectacle. It’s visible to the naked eye.

WHY IS IT CALLED A SUPERMOON?

Whenever the satellite reaches its closest point to Earth in an annual orbit, the moon appears bigger and brighter than it does normally. For the next few nights, the difference will appear significant – with the cosmic rock looking about 10% to 15% larger, and 30% more luminous.

WHERE DOES THE NAME SUPER BUCK MOON COME FROM?

This isn’t just a Supermoon, remember: It’s a Super Buck Moon! That additional word in the middle can be attributed to the time of year. In July, the deer of North America begin growing their new antlers. Farmers, woodsmen, and other nature types have been using this term for over 100 years.

HOW CLOSE WILL THE MOON BE TO EARTH ON WEDNESDAY 13 JULY 2022?

This Supermoon is officially the largest AND nearest one to Earth throughout the whole year. It will be just 222 000 miles away from us, and on an intergalactic scale, this is deemed as being in very close quarters.

By: Tom Head

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