Iowa City, Iowa — When the full moon rose over Iowa last Monday night, it was the first of what may end up being three “supermoons” in each of the next three months.
University of Iowa astronomy professor Casey DeRoo says “supermoon” isn’t a scientific term, as it comes more from astrology, but whatever the origin, it’ll be a sight to see.
The “supermoon” occurs when the moon is closer to the earth in its orbit, making our natural satellite look larger than normal.
Most of us will never be able to distinguish whether the moon is five-percent larger in appearance as we have no sense of scale, but still, optical illusions do come into play when gazing at the full moon.
DeRoo teaches the UI’s general education course in astronomy for non-majors, and he says if you’d like to start moon gazing, you don’t need a fancy telescope.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, this week’s full moon is also known as a Buck Moon, because the antlers of male deer are in full-growth mode. Other names for the full July moon include: the Feather Moulting Moon, the Salmon Moon, the Berry Moon, the Ripe Corn Moon, and the Thunder Moon.
