First full supermoon of 2023 to brighten Minnesota's sky

Buck full moon will be brightest supermoon of the year
Buck full moon will be brightest supermoon of the year

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesotans will get a chance to view the first supermoon of 2023 on Monday evening.

The average full moon is 238,900 miles from Earth. Supermoons are slightly closer - the Buck Moon will be 224,895 - but the change in size isn't obviously bigger, according to EarthSky, an astronomy website published by experts in the field.

The brightness of the moon, however, will seem different. Supermoons are 16% brighter than an average moon.

RELATED: The first full supermoon of 2023 will take place in July. Here's how to see it

The Native American names for full moons were published by the Maine Farmer's Almanac back in the 1930s, and each one is significant to the time of year, according to NASA. In early summer, bucks get their antlers, so the first July full moon is called the Buck Moon.

It is also referred to as the Thunder Moon because thunderstorms begin in early summer.

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