When is the Sturgeon Full Moon in 2025? Here's how to see the next full moon of the year - and how it got its name
Here’s everything you need to know about the next full moon of 2025.
It's a sight that has inspired myths, superstitions 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 on given a different evocative name.
Here's how to see the next one of 2025 - the fishy Sturgeon Moon.
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 2025?
The next full moon or ‘Sturgeon Moon’ will rise in the southeast at around 9pm on Saturday, August 9, and set in the southwest after sunrise on August 10. It’s good timing for the UK - giving stargazers pretty much the whole night to spot it. This time only applies to the UK as when the full moon rises and sets depends on where you are on the planet.
What 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. Other names for the August full Moon include the Lynx Moon, Grain Moon and Corn Moon.
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 the Worm Moon relates to a time of year when the ground starts to thaw and worms are able to wriggle up to the surface.
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.
When are the other full moons of 2025?
Here’s a full list of the other full moons still to come in 2025 - and their names:
September 7 - ‘Harvest Moon’
October 7 - ‘Hunter’s Moon’ (also a Supermoon)
November 5 - ‘Beaver Moon’ (also a Supermoon)
December 4 - ‘Cold Moon’ (also a Supermoon)
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