Whether you are a lover of mythology, simply seeking a moment of awe or an avid sky observer, get ready to be mesmerized by the buck moon as it graces the Singapore night sky on July 3rd.
The supermoon in July will be the first of 4 that will be appearing throughout this year. A supermoon is a full moon which orbits closest to Earth, and this makes it appear brighter and larger than usual and will be nearly 362,000 km away, from the Earth at its nearest point.
Why is it named the Buck Moon?
The male deer known as bucks begin to grow new antlers during this time of the year across the world, and that is how this supermoon derives its unique name.
The buck moon is forecast to commence rising in Singapore at 7.13 p.m. on July 3rd in the Southeast direction. It will be the perfect opportunity to view the moon from 9 p.m. onwards, as it reaches an optimal height in the sky, and most people will be able to view the moon without trees or buildings obstructing their view. It will continue to ascend till it reaches the Meridian, or the highest point in the sky, at 1.25 a.m. on the 4th of July, before it begins its descent in the Southwest direction and the buck moon will set at 7.40 a.m. on the same day.
The Science Centre Observatory said that the appearance of the moon could vary depending on the specific location that one is in, and atmospheric conditions, but it will be hard to miss the bright moon in the sky on clear days. The buck moon could be easily viewed anywhere in Singapore as long as the sky is clear, and the view is unobstructed. The Science Centre Observatory added that for a potentially elevated and better view of the buck moon with panoramic views of the city skyline, it could be viewed from open public areas like the Southern Ridges, East Coast Park and the Marina Barrage. Chen Wei Zhong, President of the National University of Singapore’s Astronomical Society, stated that those who were keen to see the moon simply had to be at a convenient location where their view of the moon was clear of obstruction. Mr. Chen, 24 added that if the observer had a visual aid such as a telescope or binoculars, it would allow him to better view surface details such as large-scale terrain and craters on the moon.
Hobbyist photographer for over 20 years Mr. Andy Chew, 51, informed the Straits Times that the best spots for viewing would be Pasir Ris, Marina Barrage and East Coast Beach. He further stated that some of the photographers will be using applications such as PhotoPills and SkyView to direct them to the best place to shoot the moonrise. He had been trying to capture this astronomical phenomenon for the past 3 years to no avail. He added that most of the time the weather was not in his favour whenever there was a special moon and owing to bad weather and low cloud coverings, it was not easy to get a shot of the full moon. Another obstacle was the presence of high-rise buildings which could obstruct views of the moon.
Other than the buck moon, the Science Centre Observatory said that sky gazers could look forward to 3 other supermoons this year. These are the Sturgeon moon on August 1st, the Blue moon on August 31st and the Harvest moon on September 29th. The buck moon was sighted last in Singapore on the 13th of July 2022, although cloudy conditions obscured it. The first was seen on June 14th, while the final was spotted on August 11th that year.
