The biggest and brightest full moon of 2024 so far will rise on August 19, but its unusual name requires an explanation. Although August’s full moon is usually called the “Sturgeon Moon,” this month it is also a “blue supermoon.”
The Sturgeon Moon, which is fullest on August 19 at 2:25 p.m. EDT, is called a blue moon because of an astronomical peculiarity. There are two types of blue moons: a monthly blue moon (the second full moon in a month) and a seasonal blue moon (the third of four full moons in the same astronomical season). Since the summer solstice on June 20, there have been full moons on June 22 and July 21. The Sturgeon Moon on August 19 and the following full moon, the Harvest Moon, on September 18 will occur before the equinox on September 22.
Blue moons of both types occur every two to three years, according to NASA. The last seasonal blue moons were in October 2020 and August 2021, and the next seasonal blue moon will occur in May 2027, according to Time and date
The Sturgeon Moon is best seen on Monday as the moon rises above the eastern horizon. It will also appear bright and full on Sunday and Tuesday. Binoculars and telescopes are not essential for stargazing to enjoy the full moon, but they can help you spot details on the lunar surface that are not visible to the naked eye.
Related: The Perseid meteor shower rains “shooting stars” over Stonehenge in a beautiful astrophotography image
The full moon in August is named after the sturgeons that are found in the Great Lakes at this time of year. Time and dateThe Anishinaabeg people call the August moon Minoomini Giizis, which means “the grain moon (wild rice moon)”, according to the Center for Native American Studies.
This month’s full moon is also a supermoon – a consequence of the moon’s monthly orbit around the Earth not being a perfect circle. Each month the moon reaches its closest point to the Earth, called perigee. When perigee coincides with a full moon, it is a supermoon.
There will be four supermoons in 2024, starting with the Sturgeon Moon. The next full moon of the year will be the Hunter’s Moon on October 17th. The next full moon will be the Harvest Moon on September 17th. In addition to being one of the most famous full moons of the year, the 2024 Harvest Moon will partially pass through the Earth’s shadow during the night, causing it to be partially obscured by the Earth.
