What is the Sturgeon Supermoon that will illuminate the night of August 1-2?

An event that will delight lovers of astronomy. After the Super Deer Moon in early July, the Super Sturgeon Moon will appear in early August.

This Sturgeon supermoon, visible to the naked eye on the night of Tuesday, August 1, to Wednesday, August 2, will be at perigee, that is, closest to Earth, and therefore will appear larger and brighter than other full moons. This is a rare event that occurs a maximum of three to four times a year.

“A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the point at which the moon comes closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point called perigee,” NASA’s website says. The Moon is expected to be just over 357,000 km from Earth on Tuesday evening, 25,000 km closer than usual and 5,000 km closer than the Super Deer Moon. Therefore, it will appear larger (+11%) and brighter than usual.

Why do we call it that?

From France, the Sturgeon supermoon will be visible from 22:00, but weather conditions may well spoil the party in some regions. Indeed, the more clouds, the more difficult it is to observe the phenomenon. To better observe this spectacle of nature, it is important to be as far away from any light pollution as possible.

According to Science & Vie, “many tribes living around the lakes have nicknamed it Sturgeon Moon because this summer period was favorable for fishing. Elsewhere in the world, it has been called the Harvest Moon, the Spore Moon, or the Grass Moon. »

NASA clarifies that supermoons always appear in sequence. After the Super Deer Moon at the beginning of July and this Super Sturgeon Moon at the beginning of August, the Super Blue Moon will present on August 31st and the Super Harvest Moon on September 29th.