August Sturgeon Moon 2022: The fourth and final supermoon of the year will illuminate the night skies on August 11 and 12. The August supermoon, known as the Sturgeon Moon, will appear on Thursday, August 11 at 9:36 pm EDT (Friday, August 12 at 7:06 am IST).
This means that in India, the Sturgeon Moon will be visible on Friday morning. The Moon will appear full through Saturday evening.
According to NASA, Saturn will appear bright near the Moon. The ringed planet could be seen in the morning sky. If one looks in the east at around 9:30 am IST, they can see a steady, yellowish point of light. The ringed planet will rise a bit earlier each morning over the course of the month.
A supermoon is a full Moon that occurs when the Moon is at the perigee, the point closest to Earth in its orbit. Therefore, a supermoon always appears slightly brighter and larger than a normal full Moon.
Different Names For August Full Moon
The Sturgeon Moon is also called the Green Corn Moon, Grain Moon, Lynx Moon, Lightning Moon, Nikini Poya, the Raksha Bandhan Festival Moon, the Tu B'Av Holiday Moon, and the end of the Esala Perahera Festival.
How To Watch The August Sturgeon Moon Online
The August supermoon is the last of the four supermoons for 2022. People worldwide can watch the August Sturgeon Moon live online.
The Virtual Telescope Project will start livestreaming the August Sturgeon Moon on August 12 at 1:30 am EDT (11:00 am IST).
One can watch the livestream on the official website of the Virtual Telescope Project.
Gialunca Masi, an Italian astrophysicist who founded the Virtual Telescope Project, said in a statement that seeing the full moon, especially when 'super', rising or setting above Rome is a unique emotion.
Astronomy enthusiasts can also watch the August Sturgeon Moon using binoculars or a telescope.
Why The August Full Moon Is Known As The Sturgeon Moon
In the 1930s, the Maine Farmer's Almanac, an annual American periodical, started publishing Native American names for full Moons. The Algonquin tribes of what is now the northeastern United States called the August full Moon the Sturgeon Moon.
During this time of the year, the large fish were more easily caught in the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water. Thus, the Native American tribes named the August full Moon the Sturgeon Moon after the common name for 27 species of large fish.
The August full Moon is also known as the Green Corn Moon.
The August full Moon falls near the middle of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic year, and one of the four sacred months during which warfare is forbidden.
The Sturgeon Moon also corresponds with the Hindu festival Raksha Bandhan, which celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. In Sri Lanka, the August full Moon is known as Nikini Poya, and commemorates the first Buddhist council that occurred 2,400 years ago.
More About The August Sturgeon Moon
The Sturgeon Moon will be the third closest full Moon of the year.
In 1979, American astrologer Richard Nolle coined the term "supermoon" to refer to either a new or full Moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90 per cent of its perigee.
Nolle first used the term supermoon in a 1979 edition of Dell Horoscope, a now-defunct periodic American magazine covering modern astrology.
Supermoons appear 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than full Moons near the farthest distance from Earth, or apogee. The Full moons occurring at apogee are referred to as micromoons or minimoons.
A supermoon is around seven per cent larger and 15 per cent brighter than a standard full Moon.
The super full Moon which occurred on July 13 was called the Super Buck Moon. It was the third supermoon of the year.
This year, the Perseid meteor showers will peak on August 12 and 13. Since the peak of the brightest meteor showers of the year coincides with the peak of the August Sturgeon Moon, the Perseids will be washed out by the glare of full Moon.
ALSO READ: Perseids, Cygnus The Swan, Veil Nebula, Planet Parade – What To Watch In The August Sky And When