Why tonight's July supermoon is called a Buck Moon and what it means

The first supermoon of the year can be spotted lighting up the sky tonight (Monday, July 3).

July's full moon is usually dubbed the Buck Moon - but this year it's even more special, as it is also a supermoon. These occur when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time the moon is full.

It means that they are 90 per cent of it's closest distance to us - within 360,000km of our planet. Supermoons appear larger and brighter than usual full moons.

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The Buck Moon will be visible tonight and tomorrow evening, according to NASA. The best time to see it in the UK tonight is after 10.14pm - you will not need any fancy equipment to enjoy the sight, but binoculars or a telescope might help.

It will appear in the southeast portion of the sky, in the constellation of Sagittarius.

The Buck Moon gets its name from the time of year antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in north America. It is also known as Thunder Moon because of early Summer's frequent thunderstorms.

In Europe, it might also be known as the Hay Moon, for the haymaking in early summer. The Maine Farmers' Almanac began publishing Native American names for full Moons in the 1930s and these names are now widely known and used.

There are several other supermoons this year, all falling in the next several months. There are two full moons at the start and end of August, both supermoons.

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Another comes at the end of September, before the moon's orbit moves out of a lunar perigee - when the Earth and moon are closest together.