The full moon in August is called the Sturgeon Moon, and before you ask: no, it does not look like a fish.
Still, it will be special. Monday night’s full moon will be a super blue moon, an event that only occurs once every 20 years, with the next occurrence not until 2037.
So what is a blue moon and why is it called that if it isn’t actually blue? What is a supermoon and how often does it happen? We’ll answer your questions, including the part about Pisces.
What is a blue moon?
Chris Sirola, associate professor of astronomy and physics at the University of Southern Mississippi, explained that a full moon is called a blue moon under various circumstances.
“A ‘blue moon’ is another way of saying something is rare, because it is,” Sirola said. “A blue moon refers to a situation where we have four full moons during a season instead of the usual three. More specifically, the blue moon is the third of four.”
However, this is not the only time when a full moon is called a blue moon.
“There are actually two types of blue moons,” Sirola said. “This is a seasonal blue moon. A monthly blue moon occurs when we have two full moons in a calendar month. This is not the case this time.”
Why is it called the Blue Moon if it is not blue?
According to Britannica, the term is hundreds of years old. The phrase “The moon is blue” dates back to the 16th century and meant that something was impossible.
This has changed over the years. There have been a few times when the moon has appeared blue due to atmospheric conditions, giving it the meaning of something that is rare.
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What is a supermoon?
A supermoon appears larger than other full moons and occurs when the full moon is at or near perigee.
“The moon’s orbit is elliptical, meaning that sometimes it is closer to us than average and sometimes farther away,” Sirola said. “Perigee is the point where the moon is as close to us as it can get, meaning it appears larger in diameter than at any other point in its orbit.”
According to NASA, the moon can appear up to 14 percent larger at perigee than at its farthest point from Earth, called apogee.
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How rare is a super blue moon?
According to NASA, super blue moons are quite rare.
About 25% of all full moons are supermoons, so most people probably don’t think of this as a rare event. However, when combined with a blue moon, things are different. About 3% of all full moons are blue moons. This means that super blue moons occur on average about every 10 years, but there can be up to 20 years between them.
The next super blue moons will occur almost one after the other in January and March 2037.
Why is a full moon in August called a sturgeon moon?
Full moons have different names, depending on the month or season in which they occur. For example, according to Merriam-Webster, the Strawberry Moon in June is so named because that is the time when strawberries are ripe in North America.
A full moon closest to the autumn equinox, usually September 23, is a harvest moon. That’s because the extra light it provides gives farmers more time to harvest.
According to space.com, the full moon in August is so named because it is the easiest time to catch fish.
Lesson finished.
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This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Super Blue Moon: Your Questions About August’s Full Moon Answered
