August Full Moon: A Splendid Sturgeon Moon Is Set to Illuminate the Skies This Week

Illustration - Shutterstock

If you are an astronomy enthusiast, get ready your binoculars and portable telescopes as moon gazing time is here again! On Aug. 15, the Sturgeon Moon will light up the night skies.

Did you know that throughout the year, there are 12 full moons? The Sturgeon Moon is the full moon in August and the eighth full moon of the year.

And every full moon for each of the 12 months have its own unique names. The names of the full moons signify the changing seasons.

Illustration - Shutterstock | Darkfoxelixir

For instance, to signify the peak harvesting season of strawberries, the full moon in June is dubbed the Strawberry Moon, and the full moon that appears in the chilly December is called the Cold Moon.

In case you’re curious, the names for the full moons of other months are widely known as the following: January—Wolf Moon , February—Snow Moon, March—Worm Moon, April—Pink Moon, May—Flower Moon, July —Buck Moon, September—Harvest Moon, October—Hunter’s Moon, November—Beaver Moon, according to National Geographic.

“The Maine Farmer’s Almanac first published Indian names for the Full Moons in the 1930s and over time these names have become widely known and used,” NASA’s Gordon Johnston told Express.

Illustration - Shutterstock | Darkfoxelixir

So, how did the Sturgeon Moon get its fishy name?

As per Farmers’ Almanac, the fishing tribes named the moon because sturgeons, found in North America’s Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, could be caught in large numbers during the month when the eighth full moon of the year shone in the sky.

Sturgeons, a large primitive fish with bony plates on the body, have existed even before dinosaurs first roamed the earth some 230 million years ago, and can live to be over 100 years old, as per New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Today, most sturgeon species are endangered.

“A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon,” the Farmers’ Almanac states on its website.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich in London explained to Express: “It’s also been called the Green Corn Moon, the Grain Moon and the Red Moon for the reddish hue it often takes on in the summer haze.”

In fact, different tribes have different names for the eighth full moon of the year.

Native American fishing tribes named the eight full moon of the year as the “Sturgeon Moon,” whilst for Southeastern Canada’s Ojibwe tribe, they referred to it as the “Blackberry Moon.”

To the Haida people, an indigenous ethnic group of North America, the Sturgeon Moon is known as the “Salmon Moon.” Meanwhile, the Dakota Sioux described the eighth Full Moon as the “Moon When All Things Ripen.”

According to Folklore, babies born a day after the full moon graces the night sky will enjoy success and endurance.

If you are keen to catch a glimpse of Sturgeon Moon in the skies on Aug. 15, the best times to admire its illuminating splendor are at 5:57 a.m. and 8:21 p.m. EDT, and 6:15 a.m. and 8.10 p.m. PT. We hope you’ll enjoy this celestial event!

Watch the video: