The Sturgeon Moon Show

Each August the Sturgeon Moon rises in the late summer sky in spectacular celestial glory.  As the last full moon of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sturgeon Moon turns the August evening sky into a memorable show of natural beauty.

And it isn't just a rerun of the same show each year.

In 2022 the Sturgeon Moon was the final supermoon of the calendar year.

In 2023 it was the first of TWO supermoons that rose in August and appeared in a dramatic orange / red blaze. (see picture of this Sturgeon moon below taken on Ballston Beach in Cape Cod.)

The next year in 2024 the Sturgeon Moon arrived as a giant, more austere, seasonal blue supermoon in the August sky.

Then the 2025 Sturgeon Moon arrived as a rare, two-night, full moonrise that glowed alongside a visible glimpse of Saturn.

But wait!  This year's 2026 Sturgeon Moon is a completely different show again!  Viewers on August 27 will also see a near-complete lunar eclipse that will cast a moving shadow over the moon as the earth passes directly between the sun and the moon.

The 2026 Sturgeon Moon is not to be missed.  It will be a true double-feature celestial show starting with a gorgeous big moonrise, then followed by a very visible "eclipse" drama in the midnight sky.

 

Why is it called the Sturgeon Moon?

This last full moon of the summer was named by the Old Farmer's Almanac that designates calendar moon names in reference to Native American traditions.  The August moon got its name because Native American tribes who fished the giant lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes and La Champlain found that sturgeon were easy to catch in this late summer period. Because Native American tribes relied on this catch each year, they named the moon in this period of sturgeon abundance the Sturgeon Moon.

It appears that the Sturgeon Moon name is a uniquely Native American and Farmer's Almanac creation - there isn't some historic link to a similar period for the sturgeon in the Caspian Sea.

Still, with so many people discovering and enjoying caviar today, plus the fact that all wild sturgeon populations are now endangered, with those in the Caspian Sea critically endangered, it is fitting to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible, prehistoric sturgeon fish with a beautiful celestial event.