The biggest supermoon of 2022 is visible tonight - here’s how you can see it

13 July 2022, 11:31 | Updated: 13 July 2022, 11:40

By Naomi Bartram

@naomibartram

There's a ‘Buck’ supermoon coming tonight - here’s the best time to see it...

Stargazers across the UK will be able to catch sight of a bigger and brighter supermoon on Wednesday night.

Known as the Buck Moon, this is the first full moon of astronomical summer and the second supermoon of the year.

It gets its name because male deer shed and regrow their antlers around this time of year, and it comes from a Native American system which uses the different months' full moons to keep track of the seasons.

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How can I see the Buck supermoon?

The Buck supermoon will be visible during the night of 13 July.

There is no best time or location to view the moon as it will be visible any time during the night and the whole country should be able to see it when the sun sets.

Anna Ross, a planetarium astronomer at Royal Museums Greenwich, in south-east London said: “There is no particular location you need to be to observe this event as this is a bright full moon.

“As long as the night is clear of clouds it will be easy to spot whether you are in a light-polluted city or a dark area of countryside.”

Experts say the Buck Moon will be the brightest supermoon of the year as it represents the moon arriving at its closest point to the Earth in 2022.

Ms Ross explained: “The average distance of the moon from the Earth is 384,400km, but the Moon will reach its closest point this lunar month on the 13th July at 09:08, when it will be 357,264 km away.

"Depending on your definition, you could say that 2022 has two, three or four supermoons, with everyone seeming to be in agreement that June and July’s full moons will both be super."

What is a supermoon?

According to Royal Museums Greenwich, the distance between the Moon and the Earth varies.

The moment when the Moon is closest to the Earth is called a lunar perigee and if this is close to a full moon, then we see a supermoon.

During a supermoon, the Moon appears up to 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter compared with when the Moon is furthest away.