There’s a lot going on in the sky this month. Not only do we have two full moons in August, but both of them are supermoons. Oh, and there’s a meteor shower.
There are actually four supermoons in a row this year, a very unusual occurrence. The first one, coming Tuesday, August 1, is the second in the series. The August full moon is called the “Sturgeon Moon.”
At the end of the month, we’ll see another supermoon, this one a “Blue Moon.”
Meanwhile, the Perseids meteor shower is going on, from July 14 to September 1. The peak nights to watch will be August 12-13.
And the solar system’s second-biggest planet will be highly visible this month. Saturn, its rings, and some of its 83 moons will be the most visible on Aug. 27.
Here’s what’s coming in the sky this month.
When are the full moons taking place this month?
The first full moon also referred to as the Sturgeon Moon, will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 1. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the moon will reach its peak at 2:32 p.m. If you miss the peak, no worries. It will still appear full on Aug. 2.
The second full moon of the month, also referred to as a blue moon, will take place Wednesday, Aug. 30 and will reach its peak at 9:36 p.m. It will also appear full the day prior to and following its peak.
Not only will this blue moon be a supermoon, but it will be the biggest full moon in 2023, coming the closest to Earth of any full moon this year.
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What is a supermoon?
The moon travels around the Earth in an oval-shaped orbit, called an ellipse. When a full moon coincides with the point in the moon’s orbit that’s the closest to the Earth, it’s called a supermoon.
A supermoon can appear to be up to 8% larger and 16% brighter than a regular full moon, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, due to its proximity. When it occurs while the moon is on or near the horizon, it can look huge.
What is the difference between a full moon and a supermoon?
Full moons happen every lunar month, but there are usually only three or four supermoons a year. This year’s run of four in a row is very rare.
The name “supermoon” was coined by an astrologer in 1979, NASA said. Astronomers call it a perigean full moon.
What is the Sturgeon Moon?
According to the Farmers Almanac, August’s full moon was traditionally called the Sturgeon Moon because that’s when the giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were easier to catch.
Is there another name for the Sturgeon Moon?
The Sturgeon Moon also has been called:
- Flying Up Moon: A Cree term for when young birds are ready to take the leap and fly.
- Corn Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe), Harvest Moon (Dakota), and Ricing Moon (Anishinaabe): Signifying the time to start gathering crops.
- Black Cherries Moon: An Assiniboine word for when chokeberries become ripe.
- Mountain Shadows Moon: Named by the Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest.
What is a Blue Moon?
Sadly, it has nothing to do with color.
The cycle of the phases of the moon lasts about a month, which means 12 full moons in a year, and each one has a name. But the lunar cycle is 29.5 days, so every two to three years we get an extra full moon that doesn’t have its own name. We call that a blue moon.
There are two types, according to NASA: a monthly Blue Moon and a seasonal one.
A monthly one happens when it’s the second full moon in a calendar month, which is what’s happening this month. Blue moons can occur in any month besides February, which only has 28 days in a common year.
Astronomical seasons are counted as the times between a solstice and an equinox (winter, spring, summer, fall), each lasting three months and usually featuring three full moons. On the years when there are four moons in a season, the third one is called a seasonal Blue Moon.
Why do all the full moons have names?
Many cultures gave full moons at specific times of the year names to help keep track of the calendar, planting and harvesting times, and other important dates. Traditionally, the full moon name referred to the entire lunar month when it happened, not just to the moon, according to the Farmers Almanac.
Most of the full moon names we’re familiar with come from Native American, Colonial American, and European sources.
August’s ‘sturgeon’ moon is Aug. 1:What are the full moon dates for 2023?
What are the Perseids?
Meteor showers look like they’re raining down on us, but actually, we’re smacking into them. The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year when the Earth passes through the cloud of debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The meteors are actually tiny dust and particles from the tail of the comet as it orbits the sun. They burn up in our atmosphere and rarely make it to the Earth’s surface.
The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower because they peak on warm summer nights as seen in the northern hemisphere and are easier to spot.
The particles, many of them no bigger than a grain of sand or a pea, blast across the sky at 132,000 mph and disintegrate high in our atmosphere after a brilliant flash of light. The Perseids are known for their larger, longer explosions of light and color, NASA said.
Meteor showers are named for the constellation out of which they appear to come, according to the American Meteor Society. Look for the constellation Perseus in the northeastern portion of the sky. It’s just to the left of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters constellation.
When should I watch for the Perseids?
The Perseids are active through Sept. 1, but the best nights to watch will be Aug. 12 and 13. The meteor shower will be peaking then with rates from rural locations ranging from 50-75 meteors per hour at maximum, according to the American Meteor Society. The moon will only be 10% full on those nights, which should leave a nice dark sky as a backdrop for stargazers.
