the july supermoon {july 15, 2022}

Buck Moon. Thunder moon. The biggest Supermoon of 2022 illuminated the sky a couple nights ago.

A Supermoon occurs when the full moon’s orbit brings it closer to earth than usual. Weather permitting, the moon can appear bigger and brighter than usual.

The July moon’s nickname comes from a variety of sources, including Native American, Colonial American, and European origins. The Indian tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full moon.

The full moon in July is called the Buck Moon because the antlers of male deer are in full-growth mode at this time. July’s full moon is also called the Thunder Moon because of early summer’s frequent thunderstorms. Another name for this full moon is the Hay Moon for when farmers race to put the hay in their barns to keep it dry from the thunderstorms.

Thunder Moon was appropriate for last night. A unexpected thunderstorm rolled through central Ohio and covered the moonrise, hiding the moon's closest time to the earth. Later on, the storm and cloud cover passed and the moon was a floodlight brightening the sky and the ground below.

I wasn't able to get a good photo of the moon; mine looked like a blobby bright dot. I did find a photo a friend of a friend posted of the moon reflecting over Lake James in Indiana.

A moon-flooded prairie; a straying 

Of leal-hearted lovers; a baying 

Of far away watching dogs; a dreaming 

Of brown-fisted farmers; a gleaming 

Of fireflies eddying nigh, —

And that is July!

James N. Matthews (1852-1910)