Photo: full sturgeon moon with filter / Shutterstock
The Lower Mainland was treated to a Full Buck Moon on July 16, but they'll be able to gaze upon a marvellous Full Sturgeon Moon this August.
The August full moon gets its fishy-name from Native American tribes who knew that sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught around the time the moon was at its fullest. Of course, the August moon, like the other monthly moons of the year, has many names.
For example, they also referred to the moon as the "full green corn moon." According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, different tribes use different names. Some of these include, "'Wheat Cut Moon” (San Ildefonso, and San Juan), “Moon When All Things Ripen” (Dakotah Sioux), and ”Blueberry Moon” (Ojibwe)."
They note that Native peoples would give distinctive names to each reoccurring full moon to mark the change of seasons. As such, many of these names arose when Native Americans first interacted with colonialists.
The full moon takes place at 5:31 A.M. on Thursday, Aug. 15, but the moon will appear almost completely full in the evening on Wednesday, Aug.14.
Stargazers should opt to travel as far away from city lights as possible in order to avoid light pollution that will obscure the clarity of heavenly bodies. While this works best in more remote places, anywhere that has a higher elevation will also provide more ideal viewing conditions.
