(WWJ) - Fireworks won't be the only thing illuminating Michigan skies this holiday weekend -- the first supermoon of 2023 is also about to make a stunning appearance.
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, this month's full moon, known as the Buck Moon, will rise after sunset on Monday, July 3—the night before Independence Day.
But what sets this full moon apart from the others we've had so far is that the Buck Moon is also a supermoon, meaning it will appear bigger and brighter than average.
"July’s full Buck Moon orbits closer to Earth than many of the other full Moons this year, making one of the four supermoons of 2023," experts at the Old Farmer's Almanac said. "At its nearest point, the Buck Moon will be 224,895.4 miles (361,934 km) from Earth, which means that August’s Blue Moon will be the only supermoon that is closer to our planet this year."
The last full supermoon occurred 11 months ago.
While Monday's supermoon will no doubt be an impressive backdrop to fireworks shows, experts said it only appears about 7% larger—which would be an unnoticeable difference to the human eye, depending on other conditions.
The unique lunar phenomena is called a "Buck Moon" by the Old Farmer's Almanac because male deer, called bucks, have their antlers in full-growth mode during this timeframe. It is also called the Feather Moulting Moon from the Cree people and Salmon Moon, a Tlingit term that signaled when fish made their way back to an area and were ready to be harvested.
"The full Moon names used by the Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources," the periodical explained. "Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not solely to the full Moon."
Authorities said the Buck moon will reach peak illumination at 7:39 A.M. the day before Independence Day.
"It will be below the horizon at that time, so plan to look towards the southeast after sunset to watch it rise into the sky," the Old Farmer's Almanac advised.