The largest and brightest full moon of 2024 will occur on August 19 and is intriguingly called the “Blue Supermoon” or “Sturgeon Moon.”
The Sturgeon Moon, the fullest moon, will take place on August 19 according to Eastern Daylight Time in the United States, and it is referred to as a blue moon due to an astronomical feature.
“Sturgeon Supermoon” over the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey on August 2, 2023 (Photo: Yasin Akgul).
There are two types of blue moons: monthly blue moon (the second full moon in a month) and seasonal blue moon (the third full moon in four full moons within the same astronomical season). Since the summer solstice on June 20, there have been full moons on June 22 and July 21. The Sturgeon Moon will occur on August 19, followed by the “Harvest Moon” on September 18.
According to NASA, blue moons of both types happen two to three times a year. The most recent seasonal blue moons were in October 2020 and August 2021, with the next seasonal blue moon expected in May 2027, according to timeanddate.com.
The Sturgeon Moon will also be bright and full on Sunday and Tuesday, and it will be most visible as it rises above the eastern horizon on Monday. While binoculars and telescopes are not necessary to enjoy the full moon, having them can help reveal surface details not visible to the naked eye.
The July full moon is named after the sturgeon fish found in the Great Lakes during this time of year, according to timeanddate.com. The Anishinaabe people refer to the July moon as Minoomini Giizis, meaning “Moon of the Wild Rice.”, as noted by the Native American Studies Center.
This month’s full moon is a supermoon. Each month, the moon reaches its closest point to Earth, known as perigee. When perigee coincides with a full moon, it is termed a supermoon.
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