The month’s first full moon happens Tuesday at 2:32 p.m. Eastern time. August’s full moon is traditionally known as the Sturgeon Moon here in North America, because the continent’s largest freshwater fish are beginning their spawning season. Other names include the Grain Moon and Corn Moon.
But this month, there’s a bonus moon.
The second full moon will occur Aug. 30 at 9:26 p.m. Eastern time and is one of two types of “blue moons.” This term applies to either the second full moon in a calendar month (as we have this year) or the third full moon to occur in an astronomical season (between equinoxes and solstices) that has four full moons. This second type of blue moon will occur on Aug. 19 next year.
Blue moon, Perseid meteor shower highlight busy August in the heavens
August is going to be a busy month in the heavens. We’ll have two full moons, the year’s best meteor shower, and, although we will lose sight of two planets, two more swing into view.
Twice in a month, or once in a blue moon?
The month’s first full moon happens Tuesday at 2:32 p.m. Eastern time. August’s full moon is traditionally known as the Sturgeon Moon here in North America, because the continent’s largest freshwater fish are beginning their spawning season. Other names include the Grain Moon and Corn Moon.
But this month, there’s a bonus moon.
The second full moon will occur Aug. 30 at 9:26 p.m. Eastern time and is one of two types of “blue moons.” This term applies to either the second full moon in a calendar month (as we have this year) or the third full moon to occur in an astronomical season (between equinoxes and solstices) that has four full moons. This second type of blue moon will occur on Aug. 19 next year.
Both of this month’s full moons also happen to occur close to the times of the moon’s closest pass to Earth in its orbit — known as perigee. Some people like to refer to perigee moons as “supermoons.” These moons appear about 8 percent bigger and 16 percent brighter than an average moon.
Another obscure astronomical event
Aug. 1 was once a special day in pre-Christian Gaelic culture, one of the four “cross-quarter” days that marked the midpoints of the astronomical seasons. Known as Lughnasadh, it was widely observed in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man as the first of three harvest festivals. When Christianity arrived in these regions, the day became the feast day of St. Peter in Chains.
It subsequently evolved into “Lammas,” or “Loaf Mass.” On this day, it is traditional to bring the first loaf of bread made from the first crop of the season to the church for all to share. Unlike the other cross-quarter days that we know as Groundhog Day, May Day and Halloween, Lammas isn’t widely observed in the United States, but it is still popular in Britain and marks the “traditional” start of summer holidays in many parts of Europe.
: Top astronomy events for August 2023 (Dailymotion)
Prepare for the Perseids
Go out on almost any moonless night in August and you are bound to see a few “shooting stars.” Go out on the night of Aug. 12-13 and you will see lots of them. This is the night when the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak, and a single observer at a dark-sky location can expect to see between 50 to 75 meteors in an hour.
