It’s also known as the Swan Flight Moon, Red Moon and Grain Moon.
Most commonly known as the Sturgeon Moon, the first full Moon of August will rise on the evening of Tuesday 1 August 2023, at 9:22pm BST, appearing full both the day before and the day after.
But where does the name come from? And what other names does August’s full Moon go by?
“Naming the full Moons has been done by ancient peoples around the world to mark events, as well as to act as a calendar,” explains Dr Darren Baskill, astronomy lecturer at the University of Sussex.
“While the Full Moon names in common use today originate from North America, a huge variety of names were used by indigenous cultures both across North America, Europe and around the world.”
It’s perhaps no surprise then, that the name Sturgeon Moon – or as it’s evolved in modern media, the Sturgeon Supermoon – derives from the fish that was once plentiful in rivers and lakes at this time of the year.
Particularly abundant around the Great Lakes along the border between the United States and Canada, the freshwater lake sturgeon was an essential food source for the Native American Algonquin tribe.
Since then, commercial fishing operations, poor water quality, construction of dams that block access to spawning areas, poaching and widespread habitat destruction have contributed to the fish being put on the endangered list, and are even listed as ‘the most endangered species on Earth’. Not to mention the caviar trade, illegal or legal.
Interestingly, like swans, here in the UK, sturgeons are actually royal fish. Yes, UK sturgeons are the personal property of King Charles III. And this is nothing new; it’s a law that dates back to the 14th century, when King Edward II decreed that all sturgeon and whales caught within three miles of the coast to be offered to the King. So, if you’re out fishing in UK waters and you happen to catch a sturgeon, you must offer it to the King first (no seriously, you could be arrested if you don’t).
In addition to most widely being known as the Sturgeon Moon, August’s full Moon is also known by other names in different cultures and folklore. Some of the alternative names for the August full moon include:
- Red Moon: Not to be confused with the Strawberry Moon in June, or when the Moon turns red during a lunar eclipse, August’s full Moon is sometimes known as a Red Moon. It’s all down to the colour; when the Moon is low on the horizon, particularly in the summer, air molecules in the hazy atmosphere scatter most of the short, blue wavelengths, leaving the remaining longer red wavelengths, thus we get a red Moon.
- Grain Moon: In Old English, the Sturgeon Moon was sometimes known as the Barley Moon, Fruit Moon, or Grain Moon, inspired by the crops that can be harvested during this month.
- Swan Flight Moon: Within the Inuit community, the August full Moon was referred to as the Swan Flight Moon, inspired by the sight of young swans taking flight at this time. Similarly, it’s also gone by the name ‘Moon when young ducks begin to fly’, by the Cree of the Canadian Northern Plains.
- Green Corn Moon: Among the Native American Myaamiaki, this name is in reference to when miincipi corn can be eaten raw off the cob. After this time, however, the kernels become too hard and dense and need to be processed before being eaten.
- Hungry Ghost Moon: In Chinese Taoism, it is believed that spirits freely roam about during the seventh month of the lunar calendar (July or August), and the full Moon heralds the commencement of the Hungry Ghost Festival. In a traditional celebration dedicated to honouring ancestors and appeasing ghosts, feasts are held, and families pray to their deceased relatives.
The next full Moon will be a rare blue Moon and will rise on 31 August 2023.
About our expert
Dr Darren Baskill is an outreach officer and lecturer in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Sussex. He previously lectured at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, where he also initiated the annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
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