Buck moon rises this weekend, and will make way for four supermoons next

July's full moon, also known as Buck Moon, will be visible in the skies this weekend. This year, it is happening on the Apollo 11 mission's 55th anniversary. The mission took off on July 16 and the Eagle module landed on the moon on July 20. While the Buck moon will officially come on July 21, it will appear full on days before and after it as well.

Apollo 11 was a massive achievement for humanity, with man putting his foot on the lunar surface for the first time. With the full moon coming around the same time, looking up at our satellite is bound to fill humans with a sense of pride and take them back in time.

When the moon is on the opposite side of the sun from Earth, with our planet positioned between the sun and the moon, our lunar neighbour is fully illuminated. This phenomenon results in a full moon. This cycle repeats itself every 29.5 days.

The July full moon has many names. One of the most common is the Buck Moon, due to the moon occurring at the time when male deer, known as bucks, start getting new antlers. It is also known as Thunder Moon and the Hay Moon. Several places on Earth witness thunderstorms at this time of the year, which is why it is also known as Thunder Moon. Hay harvest commonly happens in July, so the name Hay Moon is also given to July's full moon.

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Four consecutive supermoons will follow

From next month onwards, Earthlings will be able to witness the supermoon for four consecutive months. Buck Moon will be the last regular full moon until December. Sturgeon Moon will rise on August 19 and will be the first of the four supermoons.

When does a supermoon occur

The moon moves around Earth in an elliptical orbit. This means that at some point in time, it is at its farthest point from us and at another, it comes closest to Earth. When a full moon happens at the perigee, which is the closest point to Earth, a supermoon happens since the moon appears bigger and brighter than usual.

When are the other full moons?

Sturgeron Moon will occur on August 19. After that, the Harvest Moon will occur on September 17. Blood moon awaits us in October and the Beaver moon will rise in November. All four of these will be supermoons. December will welcome the Cold Moon.