Astronomy Essentials

Full and near moon July 13

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Guy Ottewell

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July 11, 2022

Full and near moon: Line showing ecliptic, dots for moon on different dates and drawn in constellations. — View larger. | The full and near moon is in the eastern sky around sunset on July 11, 12, 13 and 14, 2022. The moon’s motion from night to night is due to its eastward motion in orbit around Earth. See the point marked as anti-Sun? When the moon passes the anti-sun point, it’s at the crest of its full phase (most opposite the sun for this month). That’ll happen at 18:37 UTC (1:37 p.m. central) on July 13, 2022. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

Originally published on July 11, 2022, at Guy Ottewell’s blog. Reprinted with permission.

A supermoon is a full and near moon

The moon will be full, and at its nearest to Earth for 2022, on Wednesday, July 13.

Twice or sometimes three times every year, we have these near-in moons, nowadays called supermoons. A supermoon is defined as being near its perigee, or closest point in orbit to Earth, at a time when the moon is also new or full.

See our graph below of the moon’s distance from Earth in 2022. This graph comes from the Astronomical Calendar 2022.

Wavy lines over 12 months with circles showing the moon at different phases. — Here is the moon’s distance from Earth – in units of Earth-radii – throughout 2022. The gray moons are new or full; the blue moons are first quarter and last quarter). Notice that the full moons of June and July 2022 are at a maximum distance from Earth. And notice the broad smooth curve connecting the new moons, and another connecting the full moons. Isn’t it cool how objects in the sky manifest beautiful patterns like these? Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

July 13 is the closest supermoon of 2022

The time of the July 13 perigee is 9:04 UTC, which by clocks on distorted summer time show as 10:04 a.m. in Britain, and 4:04 a.m. in North America’s Central time zone.

The perigee happens only 9.5 hours before the moment of full moon.

Want more on 2022’s closest supermoon? Click here.

Supermoons can cause high tides

The moon is the main cause of Earth’s tides. But the sun, vastly larger and vastly more distant, adds a pull about half as strong. This is why the highest amplitude of tides comes at these two near-in moons – the year’s closest new moon and the year’s closest full moon – which, in 2022, fall slightly less than half a year apart.

Where I live in the UK, there is also a heat wave rising. But its amplitude may have more human than lunar contribution.

Want more about tides? Read: Tides and the pull of the moon and sun

A river, trees along the edge and a few bistro tables and chairs with a dock in the foreground. — Supermoons cause higher-than-usual tides. “The Thames will probably rise over our dock,” Guy said. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

Bottom line: Learn more – and see charts – related to the July 13, 2022, nearest full moon of 2022 from master chart-maker Guy Ottewell.

Posted

July 11, 2022

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Astronomy Essentials

Guy Ottewell

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About the Author:

Astronomer, artist and poet Guy Ottewell's beloved Astronomical Calendar ended its yearly print run in 2016, its 43rd year. But now it's back! Find the 2023 calendar here: https://www.universalworkshop.com/astronomical-calendar-2023/ And visit Guy’s website UniversalWorkshop.com or his blog at UniversalWorkshop.com/Guysblog. Guy's stories and art are used here with permission, and we are honored to have them. Thank you, Guy! The image shows Guy walking from the Carolina coast to the Blue Ridge mountains one spring (as depicted in Sky & Telescope magazine).