Full moon August 2023: When and where to see the sturgeon moon and the blue moon?

He midsummer brings with him a festival of lights marked by a wide repertoire of astronomical phenomena. This month of August we will be able to appreciate Mercury in its maximum splendor -one of the most difficult planets to see due to its orbit close to the sun- and, at the end of the month (August 27), Saturn it will reach its opposition, shining brighter than any other day of the year.

the tears of San Lorenzoone of the most famous phenomena of summer, it is expected that they can be easily observed on the night of August 12-13: the moon is at 10% of its phase, and therefore, with a clear sky, the meteor shower could be a success.

The most interesting thing about August will be that we will be able to enjoy two supermoons -normally we see a full moon a month- an event that happens rarely. This summer month is one of the most special in a while. If you like the full moon and the magic that emerges on summer nights, don’t miss these dates that we explain below.

Two supermoons in the same month

The fact that the lunar cycle lasts 28 days means that there are years in which we see 12 full moons and years in which we see 13. This is the case this year. And it is that in August there will be a on the 1st and another on the 31st.

The termSuper moon’ is used to describe the time when the full moon will necessarily coincide with the perigee, which is when our natural satellite is closest to Earth, making it the biggest and brightest in the sky. This month we will see two, and one of them will be The biggest and brightest supermoon of the year.

The Sturgeon Moon: August 1

The sturgeon moon It will be the second supermoon of summer, after the stag moon in July. The satellite that day will be a 7.1% larger and 15.6% brighter than a traditional moon, surpassing the moon of the previous month.

On the first day of August the moon will be in its perigee, that is, at the closest distance to Earth. For that reason, we will be able to appreciate it slightly better with a naked eye, although if we were to see it with a telescope, when compared to a traditional supermoon, we would better appreciate the great difference.

It is called sturgeon because it is the time when the natives of the United States fished more easily. that large fish in the great rivers and lakes of the country. This species that lives in fresh water can measure up to 3.5 meters and weigh 90 kg and has been on Earth since prehistoric times. Currently, it is in Danger of extinction due to overfishing and water pollution.

This moon has historically marked the start of a harvest season in the northern hemisphere, when farmers began to sow seeds to prepare the fall season. For this reason, it is known as the Corn Moon, Crescent Moon, or Black Cherry Moon. These names come from the Native Americans, but some peoples also know it as the rising moonin reference to young birds learning to fly around this time.

The best time to see the sturgeon moon

The second supermoon of the summer or sturgeon moon will be closer to Earth on Tuesday, August 1 at 7:31 p.m. At that time, it will appear larger and brighter in the sky from Spain.

The blue moon: August 31

The adjective ‘blue’ of this moon indicates that it is the second full moon in a calendar month (calendrical blue moon), but is also known as the third of four full moons in an astronomical season (the seasonal blue moon).

In this case, it is the second calendrical moon (of the month of August) and seasonal (the third supermoon of summer). In addition, it is also a supermoon, and in fact, it will be the supermoon biggest and brightest this year. This means that it will be the moment of the year when the moon will be closest to the Earth, being a 7.2% larger and 16.7% more luminous than an average full moon.