Tomorrow afternoon, the Sturgeon Moon, a marginal supermoon and blue moon, will be visible around the world at 2:26 p.m. EDT.
The Sturgeon Moon, also called the Green Corn Moon, will occur on August 19 and will appear opposite the Sun in Earth longitude at 9:36 p.m. EDT.
The Sturgeon Moon is a “supermoon,” a term coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 to describe a new or full moon that occurs when the moon comes to within 90% of its closest approach to Earth. It is also a Blue Moon, a term that has its origins in an old English phrase meaning “traitor moon,” as well as rare cases when dust in the atmosphere actually makes the moon appear blue.
The name “Sturgeon Moon” and other names for full moons have been widely known and used since the Maine Farmer’s Almanac began publishing Native American names for full moons in the 1930s. The Algonquian tribes of what is now the northeastern United States called this moon the “Sturgeon Moon” after the large fish that were easier to catch at this time of year. This moon was also called the “Green Corn Moon” after the first full moon after the last planted corn was ripe.
The Sturgeon Moon coincides with the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan, which celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. This full moon is also a Buddhist holiday, Nikini Poya, which commemorates the first Buddhist council held about 2,400 years ago, sometime around 400 BC. In Kandy, Sri Lanka, this full moon coincides with the end of the Esala Perahera festival, also known as the Tooth Festival, which lasts for two weeks every year.
This year’s Blue Moon is easiest to see at moonrise over the eastern horizon, with the naked eye or with binoculars. Two smaller meteor showers are also expected to peak during this lunar cycle. Both will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere in darker, less urban areas with clearer skies and less light pollution.
