August’s Full Sturgeon Moon reaches peak on Aug. 22

This weekend, look toward the southeast after sunset to catch a glimpse of the Sturgeon Moon rising.

(KBSI) – Look to the sky both Saturday and Sunday night! August’s full Sturgeon Moon reaches its peak on Sunday morning, August 22.

August’s full Moon will first appear on the night of Saturday, August 21, before reaching peak illumination at 7:02 a.m. Central Time on Sunday, August 22. On either of these nights, look toward the southeast after sunset to catch a glimpse of the Sturgeon Moon rising.

August’s full Moon was traditionally called the Sturgeon Moon because the giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught during this part of summer, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

A sturgeon is a prehistoric-looking fish that has been traced back to around 136 million years ago that many people call “living fossils.”

Females require around 20 years to start reproducing, and they can only reproduce every four 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 monster sturgeon as big as a Volkswagen. The lake sturgeon is rare nowadays, due to intense overfishing in the 19th century, pollution, and damage to their habitat, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Some alternative names for the Full Sturgeon Moon include Flying Up Moon which 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. The Assiniboine people named this period Black Cherries Moon, referring to when chokecherries become ripe. The Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest called this time of the season the Mountain Shadows Moon.