July’s Full Moon: “Full Thunder Moon”

July’s full moon graced the night sky last night [July 22], with astronomers referring to it as a perigee full moon, others calling it a supermoon, while ancient Native American tribes called it the Full Thunder Moon.

Earthsky said the July 2013 full moon falls one day after July’s lunar perigee, which is the moon’s closest point to Earth for this monthly orbit.

“Astronomers will call this full moon a perigee full moon, but everyone else will call it a supermoon, according to a definition coined in recent decades by an astrologer,” said EarthSky.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, it was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, as thunderstorms were quite frequent during this time.

Some other names for July’s full moon are the Full Buck Moon, because around now is when new antlers begin to appear in male deer, and the Full Hay Moon.

Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon.

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Category: All, Environment