Full Moon Date August 2024: How to see the Sturgeon Blue Moon and how it got its name

Blue moons aren't actually blue, or that rare, but there's one in August.Blue moons aren't actually blue, or that rare, but there's one in August.
Blue moons aren't actually blue, or that rare, but there's one in August. | Canva/Getty Images
The next full moon is a bit special. If you want to see it we have all the details you need.

t's a sight that has inspired mythssuperstitions and awe through the centuries - when the night sky is lit up by the seemingly-perfect glowing sphere of a full moon.

We experience one full moon every month, with each one given a different evocative name.

Here's how to see the eighth one of 2024 - the Buck Moon.

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What is a full moon?

A full moon is when moon appears as a complete circle in the sky. The moon produces no light of its own, so this only happens when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun - meaning the whole of the near side of the moon is fully lit up.

When is the Sturgeon Moon in 2024?

The next full moon or ‘Sturgeon Moon’ will reach its peak on the full moon will appear at 8.48pm on Monday, August 19. This time only applies to the UK however as when the full moon rises and sets depends on where you are on the planet. Although when it peaks it will be daylight you'll still be able to see the (almost imperceptibly less) full moon at night - should the cloud stay away.

Why is it called a Sturgeon Moon?

The Sturgeon Moon was so-called by Native Americans due to August being a time of great abundance of the fish in the Great Lakes.

What is a Blue Moon?

This moon is particularly special as it is a Blue Moon although, despite the phrase ‘once in a Blue Moon’, it’s not actually that rare.

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It’s the term given to the the third full moon of a season that contains a total of four full moons (a season typically only contains three full moons). It means you get a Blue Moon every couple of years - but it’s actually not blue.

Some people also - incorrectly - say that a Blue Moon is when you get two full moons in the same month, which also happens every couple of years.

Why do full moons have different names?

Full moon names are often attributed to Native American tribes that would give full moons nicknames to keep track of them as they didn’t record time using months found in the Julian or Gregorian calendar. Most of the names were linked to a specific event, for example this wolf moon is associated with the presence of howling wolves nearby their camps at this time.

Other moons like the blood moon were thought to be caused by Jaguars who attacked the moon and left it bleeding hence the red colour. These lunar systems and their names differed between tribes but it seems Colonial Americans adopted some of these names and incorporated them into their own calendar systems - their use then spread to other countries, including the United Kingdom.

Here’s a full list of the remaining full moons in 2024:

September 18 - ‘Harvest Moon’ (also a Supermoon)

October 17 - ‘Hunter’s Moon’

November 15 - ‘Beaver Moon’

December 15 - ‘Cold Moon’

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