Skywatchers can expect July's full moon, the first supermoon of 2023, on Monday after sunset.

The supermoon, known as the Buck Moon, will reach its peak at around 7:40 p.m. Beijing Time.

It will appear larger and brighter than ordinary full moons, as a supermoon "exceeds the disk size of an average-sized moon by up to 8 percent and the brightness of an average-sized full moon by some 16 percent," according to EarthSky, an astronomy website.

The moon is named after bucks, male deer, because they grow antlers at this time of year in the northern hemisphere. Other popular names include Thunder Moon, as thunderstorms begin in early summer.

Generally, a supermoon refers to a full moon when it is within 90 percent of the perigee, the closest point in its elliptical orbit to Earth.

July's full moon will be 361,934 kilometers away from the Earth, compared to the average moon-Earth distance of 384,472 kilometers, and will be the smallest of the four this year.

How to view it?

Generally, the best time to view a supermoon is when it rises above the horizon.

No extra equipment is required. Find an open area with a relatively high position and enjoy the view with the naked eye.

If you use binoculars, take care when the full moon rises high in the sky, as it can be particularly bright in good weather. To protect your eyes, you'd better use a polarizing filter to slightly reduce the light.

The other three supermoons are:

August 1: Sturgeon Moon, the second-largest supermoon of 2023.

August 30: Blue Moon, the largest and brightest of 2023.

September 28: Harvest Moon.

Next year, there will once again be four supermoons in a row on August 19, September 18, October 17 and November 15, 2024.