PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Sometimes, for novice skywatchers, it can be difficult to know where to look to find some of the things that we're talking about.
This week, you have an easy guide: our waxing gibbous moon. This all starts Tuesday, June 27. Look for our waxing gibbous moon near Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
In the upcoming nights, the moon has even more company. On June 29 and 30, it will get closer to the constellation Scorpius on the southeastern horizon.
Not only that, it will also be getting close to Antares, a red supergiant star within the constellation Scorpius.
This is all leading up to our full moon on July 3. On Monday, we have the Full Buck Moon. It's officially full around 7:30 a.m., so it will appear full both the night before and on the night of July 3. It gets its name because it's this time of year that bucks' antlers are in what's called rapid-growth mode.
It's also known as the Thunder Moon, according to some other Native American Indian tribes, because of all the thunderstorms this time of year.
This will be one of four supermoons in 2023. This will be the second largest supermoon behind the blue moon in August.
So, look up for the moon this week. It has company with some easy things to find, all thanks to the moon.
See past Skywatch 16 segments on YouTube: