Catch the Full Sturgeon Supermoon
August’s Full Moon will peak on Monday, August 19, but it will appear full for three days—through early Wednesday morning. Plus, it’s a supermoon—the very first of 2024—so it’s bigger and brighter than usual! We’ll explain what makes the August Moon special and how to view this gorgeous summer sight best.
When to See the Full Moon in August 2024
August’s full Moon will crest on Monday, August 19, reaching peak illumination at 2:26 P.M. Eastern Time. In the evening, look toward the southeast after sunset to glimpse the Sturgeon Moon rising.
First Supermoon of the Year
This is the first of four consecutive supermoons of the year! This means that it will appear bigger and brighter than the full Moons we have seen thus far! Learn about what it means to be a Supermoon.
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→ Consult our Moonrise and Moonset Calculator to see precisely when the Sturgeon Moon will be visible in your area!
And It’s a Blue Moon
Some folks are calling it a “Blue Moon.” Wonder why? One definition of Blue Moon is the third full Moon in a season with four full Moons.
Here at The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we usually use the more common definition for Blue Moon, which refers to two full Moons in a single month. We call the first Moon its traditional name (which is Sturgeon Moon for August) and the second full Moon a Blue Moon.
Learn more about the term, Blue Moon.
Why Is It Called the Sturgeon Moon?
The full Moon of August is traditionally called the “Sturgeon Moon.”
The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac have different origins, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not solely to the full Moon.
The Sturgeon Moon
The name Sturgeon Moon comes from the giant lake sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain; this native freshwater fish was readily caught during this part of summer and an important food staple for Native Americans who lived in the region. At one time the lake sturgeon was quite abundant in late summer, though they are rarer today.
What Is a Sturgeon?
These prehistoric-looking fish have been traced back to around 136 million years ago, and many people call them “living fossils.”
- Females require around 20 years to start reproducing, and they can only reproduce every 4 years. However, they can live up to 150 years!
- Today, there are about 29 species worldwide, including the lake sturgeon found in the Great Lakes. They have evolved in size from the size of a bass to a monster sturgeon as big as a Volkswagen.
- The lake sturgeon is quite rare today, due to intense overfishing in the 19th century, pollution, and damage to their habitat.
Alternative August Moon Names
Flying Up Moon is a Cree term describing the time when young birds are finally ready to take the leap and learn to fly.
Corn Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe), Harvest Moon (Dakota), and Ricing Moon (Anishinaabe) signify that this is the time to gather maturing crops. Along the same vein, the Assiniboine people named this period Black Cherries Moon, referring to when chokecherries become ripe.
The Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest traditionally called this time of the season the Mountain Shadows Moon.
→ See all Full Moon names and their meanings.
Moon Phases for August 2024
See Moon phase dates and times below. Note: All dates and times are ET. Go to the Moon Phase Calendar for your time zone.
Moon Phases for August 2024
.png){kind=small} | New Moon: August 4, 7:13 A.M. |
.png){kind=small} | First Quarter: August 12, 11:19 A.M. |
.png){kind=small} | Full Moon: August 19, 2:26 P.M. |
.png){kind=small} | Last Quarter: August 26, 5:26 A.M. |
→ For your next full Moon, see our Full Moon Dates chart.
Full Sturgeon Moon Video
Each month, we will explain the traditional names of the Full Moon along with some fascinating facts. In this video, learn about the Full Sturgeon Moon. Click below to watch the video.
Best Days in August 2024
Below are the best days for activities, according to the Moon’s sign and phase in August.
| Activity | Best Days |
| Cutting Hay | 22, 23 |
| Harvest Aboveground Crops | 6, 7 |
| Fishing | 4-19 |
→ See Best Days for MORE activities.
Moon Folklore
- Clothes washed for the first time in the full Moon will not last long.
- If you glimpse the new Moon over your right shoulder, you will have good luck.
- To have a project prosper, start it during the new Moon.
- Babies born a day after the full Moon enjoy success and endurance.
Share your thoughts about this month’s moon below!
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Although the sturgeon are rare in some areas of the world, the Lake Sturgeon is doing very well in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Well enough in WI to have a regulated spearing season and in MN to have a angling season for 30 days in the fall.
Captain Brian
Retired Sturgeon and Catfish Guide
The article says it peaked at 2:26 PM. Is that correct or should it have said 2:26 AM? Someone please clarify.
In the Moon Folklore section, it says "If you glimpse the new Moon over your right shoulder, you will have good luck." But what does this mean? The new moon isn't visible to the naked eye. How would that have ever been possible?
You are absolutely right! We think that it would be especially rare, and lucky, to see a new Moon over one’s right shoulder—since it is practically impossible to do so! The new Moon rises around the time of the Sun, and travels the sky in daytime; the sunlight prevents us from seeing it with just our eyes. One might, with special eye protection, be able to see a new Moon during a solar eclipse, though.
We’re not sure how this folklore came about, but it might actually refer to the thinnest crescent just past the new Moon phase; this is sometimes referred to as the “new Moon” even though the actual moment of the phase (when the Moon is totally dark from our view) has passed.
It's a beautiful thing I've ever seen ever I hope I'm still here in 2037 NASA good job with your comments and your logic thank you
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The moon is always interesting and beautiful. I hope to see the Blue moon tonight! Thanks, K
Okay so the moon is not 225,000 or whatever miles away!! It is absolutely impossible because the earth is FLAT and we live in a closed system!!!! There's no such thing as planets. The sun and the moon are COSMIC PLASMA!! I hope that anyone who reads this comment doesn't take my word for it and does their own research!! It's not hard to do. All you have to do is look a little harder at things in our world and ALWAYS QUESTION THE NARRATIVE!!
I can't tell if this is satire or if the author is, ahem, suffering from a bout of full-moon-induced lunacy
