A sturgeon supermoon to light up Illinois skies soon. Here’s why it will appear larger
The “sturgeon” full moon will light up the night sky in southwestern Illinois soon, and it will mark the second supermoon of the year.
The sturgeon moon will peak at 12:33 p.m. Tuesday, according to Forbes, and the best time to see it will likely be moonrise in Belleville, which will happen at 8:42 p.m. that day.
“August’s full Moon was traditionally called the Sturgeon Moon because the giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught during this part of summer,” the Old Farmer’s Almanac says.
Full moons have multiple names, and many come from Indigenous cultures. The Old Farmer’s Almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.
The evening of Aug. 1 should be partly cloudy in Belleville, National Weather Service St. Louis office forecasters report, with a low temperature around 74 degrees.
What is the sturgeon supermoon?
This full moon will appear ”slightly larger than normal,” Space.com reports.
“The term ‘supermoon’ was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 as either a new or full Moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90% of perigee, its closest approach to Earth,” a NASA article about July’s supermoon reads.
Because it will be closer to earth than most full moons, the sturgeon moon will likely appear 10% to 11% larger in the sky, according to Space.com, though the difference may not be obvious to casual observers without telescopes.
The sturgeon moon is also called the grain moon, corn moon, lynx moon and lightning moon, Forbes reports.
More full moons in 2023
Here’s when to see more full moons in 2023, with information from Space.com:
Aug. 30: Blue supermoon (appears biggest and brightest of the year)
Sept. 29: Harvest supermoon
Oct. 28: Hunter’s moon
Nov. 27: Beaver moon
Dec. 26: Cold moon
The blue supermoon will be August’s second full moon, and Forbes says the best times to see it will be the evenings of Aug. 30 and Aug. 31.
The St. Louis Astronomical Society will host several events in the coming days, including:
Stargazing at the Gateway Arch from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 28
Stargazing at Tower Grove Park from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 29
Public telescope viewing at the Saint Louis Science Center’s McDonnell Planetarium from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 30
You can check out the Night Sky Network online for information about more stargazing events near Belleville.
