August’s Full Sturgeon Moon and Celestial Happenings

As the days shorten and Fall draws ever nearer, we look to one last full moon of Summer—the Sturgeon Moon. This full moon will enliven the sky on Saturday, August 9, at 3:55 AM EST. The moon will appear full from the night before, and will remain full until the night after.

Native Algonquin fishing tribes are credited with naming this moon since sturgeons—large, prehistoric fish of the Great Lakes—were readily caught during this month. Sturgeons could reach lengths of up to 12 feet and were key to the tribes’ survival.

Tribes further south called this moon The Full Red Moon since the sultry haze of summer would give the moon a red hue. This moon has also been dubbed the Fruit Moon, the Grain Moon, and the Green Corn Moon, for the ripening of these foods during the approaching harvest season.

Perseid Meteor Show

A few days after the Full Sturgeon Moon reaches its peak, the Perseid Meteors will put on an incredible show, with their peak during the overnight hours of August 12-13. In the very best conditions, with no cloud cover or light pollution—including natural light from the full moon—you can expect to see up to 100 meteors shoot across the sky per hour!

The best way to view the Perseids is to find a location free from as much light pollution as possible and look directly up. The meteors all come out of a single location in the Perseus constellation, called the radiant. Locate Perseus, which is visible in the north to northeastern sky, and trace the meteors’ tails.

Jupiter and Venus

In addition, look to the east just before sunrise on August 11 and 12 to catch a glimpse of Jupiter and Venus. These two planets are the brightest objects in the sky apart from the moon, and will make their closest approach to Earth.