The Blue Super Sturgeon Moon

The month of August will see the biggest and brightest full moon of 2024. This full moon for the month of August is called the Sturgeon Moon but it is also the first supermoon of 2024 and a Blue Moon.

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac the August full moon for 2024 will appear on Monday 19 August, but will be visible in the night sky for a couple of nights either side, as long as the weather isn't cloudy.

The August full moon is called the Sturgeon Moon as it is the time of year when an abundance of the largest American freshwater fish can be caught in the lakes and rivers of North America.

What is a Sturgeon?

Image by Dorothe from Pixabay

The lake sturgeon fish is a greenish-grey colour with a pointed snout and two pairs of whisker-like tactile organs dangling near the mouth.
These prehistoric-looking fish are often called ‘living fossils’ as they belong to a family of fish that have been around for more than 135 million years.
Lake sturgeons can live for a long time, males for 55 years and females 150 years, growing up to 2 metres long and weighing up to 90 kilos.
These fish live in rivers as well as lakes but not in the ocean.
The lake sturgeon is quite rare now because of pollution and overfishing in the 19th century.

Other names for the full August moon are the Green Corn Moon, Grain Moon, Fruit Moon or Barley Moon, as these were the crops that would be harvested in August.

A few American tribes knew the August full moon as the Full Red Moon because, as the moon rises, it appears reddish through a sultry haze.

What is the origin of the moon names

The names given to the full moons during the year are derived from the North American traditions.

Many of these ancient moon names have been given based on the behaviour of the plants, animals, or weather during that month.

There are a total of 12 full moon phases during the annual lunar cycle plus the occasional Blue Moon and each full moon has a unique name and reflects the landscape around us.

It is said that they were the names given by Native American tribes and included into our modern calendar. However the full moon names we now use also have Anglo-Saxon and Germanic roots.

Why a full moon?

Full moons occur every 29.5 days or so as the moon moves to the side of Earth directly opposite the sun, reflecting the sun's rays off its full face and appearing as a brilliant, perfectly circular disk.

A full moon occurs when the moon's earth-facing side is completely illuminated by the sun. Scientists say that when you see the moon looking really large as it rises in the sky your brain is actually playing a trick on you.

There are many reasons as to why this is, but the main theory is that when the moon is low on the horizon it can be compared to earthly things, like buildings and trees, and this is why it seems huge.

Image by Anamul Haque from Pixabay

Tips for seeing a full moon

Moons rise in the east and set in the west
If viewing from inside your house it is best to turn off lights so as to view the night sky
If outside it is best to go somewhere high so you can see the moon rise above the horizon
Viewing outside is the best and away from street lights and light pollution

Why a supermoon?

A supermoon is when you look up at the night sky and the full moon looks so close you feel as if you could almost touch it, although sometimes the difference is hard to spot with the naked eye.

This is called a moon illusion as the full moon appears much larger when it rises behind a distant object on the horizon.

When the moon is closest to the earth a supermoon occurs. A supermoon will appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual. A supermoon looks especially large when rising and setting.

The moon will be 30,000 miles closer than usual. It sounds a lot, but the average distance between the earth and moon is 238,900 miles, so it’s not that huge a difference.

If you go outside on the night of a full supermoon you should actually notice that it is exceptionally bright.

According to the US space agency the term supermoon was first coined back in 1979 and is now quite commonly used.

Moon facts and folklore

The moon's diameter is 2,160 miles
The sun and moon are not the same size
The moon is a lot smaller than the sun
The moon's surface is dark
The moon has quakes
There is water on the moon
The moon has a very thin atmosphere
A person would weigh less on the moon
The dark side of the moon is a myth
We only see the near side of the moon, the other side is the far side
Earth's moon is the only place beyond earth where humans have set foot. 12 people have been on the moon.

How often do we get a Blue Moon?

A Blue Moon occurs every two to three years. NASA says that there are roughly 29.5 days between full moons and so we would never get a Blue Moon in the month of February. As it takes 354 days to complete 12 lunar cycles, about every 2.5 years we would get a 13th full moon. This 13th full moon doesn't come under the normal naming and so is referred to as the Blue Moon.

Very occasionally the month of February doesn't have a full moon at all and is known as a Black Moon.

Why a Blue Moon?

There are two types of Blue Moons and neither has anything to do with the colour of the moon.

The third full moon in a season which usually has four full moons is why it is called a Blue Moon which is unusual. This is a seasonal Blue Moon.

When we get two full moons in a single calendar month the second full moon gets the name of Blue Moon.

We often hear the term "once in a blue moon" but according to astronomical terms they occur quite regularly.

On occasions the moon can look blue if there are big dust particles in the earth’s atmosphere which scatter red light and make the moon appear blue. This happens after a wildfire or volcanic eruption.

Sleep and a full moon

The moon affects the tides because of gravity and it is often said that full moons can also influence us. Issues with our immune system can be caused by lack of sleep or disturbed sleep. Some people find falling asleep harder during a full moon along with less time spent in a deep sleep. This lack of sleep can sometimes cause people to have worse headaches often called 'moon migraines'.

Full moons in 2024
Wolf Moon - 25 January
Snow Moon - 24 February
Worm Moon - 25 March
Pink Moon - 23 April
Flower Moon - 23 May
Strawberry Moon - 22 June
Buck Moon - 21 July
Sturgeon Moon - 19 August (Blue Moon and supermoon)
Harvest Moon - 18 September (supermoon)
Hunter’s Moon - 17 October
Beaver Moon - 15 November
Cold Moon - 15 December

The best time to see the full moon in the UK is in the evening after sunset as that is when the moon is closest to the earth. So let's hope we get some clear sky to be able to see the full moon, but it will be visible for a few days around the peak.

The next full moon will rise on Wednesday 18 September and is the Harvest Moon. This will be another supermoon.