This weekend you may have spotted a glorious full moon, known as a Pink Moon' in the sky. It is supposedly the biggest and brightest full moon of 2022 so far.
This full moon, as big and bright as it may have been, is not, however, a supermoon. If you're a bit of a 'selenophile', or if you just have an interest in astronomy or the night sky, then there are a couple of key dates you may wish to put in your calendar.
In total, 2022 has 12 full moons, three of which we have already seen - the Wolf Moon on January 17, Snow Moon on February 16 and the Worm Moon on March 18. Add to that this weekend's Pink Moon and we've already seen a third of the year's full moons.
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The next full moon will take place on May 16 and will be known as the Flower Moon. You'll also witness a total lunar eclipse on this date, too.
Other 2022 full moon dates are:
- Strawberry Moon (June 14)
- Buck Moon (July 13)
- Sturgeon Moon (August 12)
- Corn/Harvest Moon (September 10)
- Hunter's Moon (October 9)
- Beaver Moon (November 8)
- Cold Moon (December 8)
But which of these are Supermoons?
What is a Supermoon?
According to Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG), a Supermoon occurs at a specific time.
RMG says: "The distance between the Moon and the Earth varies, because the Earth is not right at the centre of the Moon’s orbit and the Moon’s orbit is not a circle (it’s an ellipse).
"The moment when the Moon is closest to the Earth is called a lunar perigee. When the Moon is furthest away it is known as a lunar apogee.
"If the lunar perigee occurs very close to a full Moon, then we see what is known as a Supermoon. If a lunar apogee occurs very close to a full Moon then we see a Micromoon."
How many Supermoons are there in 2022?
There are only two Supermoons this year. The first will be on June 14 - making the Strawberry Moon a Supermoon.
The second and final Supermoon will take place on July 13, when we're set to see the Buck Moon. The next Supermoons will occur on August 1 and 31, 2023.
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