Sturgeon Moon 2019: When is the August Full Moon this year? When will it peak?
THE Sturgeon Moon is the Full Moon for the month of August. So exactly when will 2019’s eighth Full Moon arrive and what time will the Sturgeon Moon peak?
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The strangely-named Sturgeon Full Moon rises in the sky tomorrow night, when the Earth-facing side of our celestial orb is fully illuminated by the Sun. August’s Full Moon will peak before it rises for the night, when seen from London, at approximately 1.29pm BST tomorrow, on Thursday, August 15. The Sturgeon Full Moon will then proceed to rise the horizon at 8.47pm BST and set on Friday morning around 6.23am BST. The Sturgeon Moon is the eighth Full Moon of 2019 and occurs almost exactly one month after July’s Buck Moon.
How did the Sturgeon Moon acquire its odd name?
Many writers tie these Native American names to the European months
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, August’s Full Moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon.
The Sturgeon Moon name originated from both colonists and Algonquian-speaking Native American tribes.
This is because the sturgeon fish is native to both Europe and the Americas.
However, other Native Americans in the region used other terms to describe the August Full Moon.
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Southeastern Canada’s Ojibwe tribe dubbed the eighth Moon of the year as the Blackberry Moon, which could confusingly also occur in July.
The Cree of Ontario knew the year’s eighth Full Moon as the Flying Up Moon because it was when young birds would fledge.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest, the Haida described the Sturgeon Moon as the Salmon Moon.
Some Asian cultures associate the August Full Moon with mystic spirits.
In China, the seventh lunar month, which in 2019 occurs in August, is when the Hungry Ghost Festival occurs, and it coincides with the full moon.
In Buddhist and Taoist traditions, ghosts of people not given proper respect when they die will return on that day.
Observance involves burnt offerings — commonly fake bank notes.
Lotus-shaped lanterns are lit and sent into local lakes and rivers to light the way to the afterlife for restless souls.
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2019’s Full Moons:
January 21: Wolf Moon
February 19: Snow Moon
March 21: Worm Moon
April 19: Pink Moon
May 18: Flower Moon
June 17: Strawberry Moon
July 16: Buck Moon
August 15: Sturgeon Moon
September 14: Full Corn Moon
October 13: Hunter’s Moon
November 12: Beaver’s Moon
December 12: Cold Moon