August Night Sky

The Full Moon appearing this evening is named after North America's largest fish - the sturgeon. Other names for this Full Moon include Green Corn Moon, Grain Moon, Barley Moon and Fruit Moon. 

The Full Moon in August is called the Sturgeon Moon as a consequence of the great number of sturgeon that were once found in the lakes and rivers in North America.  It’s likely that with the arrival of European settlement the name was taken from native-American usage.  While there are fewer of this spectacular fish today the name remains.

August's full moon is special.  Not only does it coincide with the Perseid meteor shower it also happens to be a Super Moon - the last one for 2022.  A Super Moon results when a full moon reaches 90% of perigee - or closest approach to earth.  Consequently, it should appear 30% brighter and 14% larger than a moon at its farthest point (apogee).  These are the Words of the Day.  Commit them to memory as there may be a test one of these days.

Fingers-crossed for good viewing conditions this evening.

Here's a Sturgeon Moon photo I took several years ago...

And a helpful guide to locate planet Saturn low on the horizon as well...