The Sturgeon Moon in 2027: date, time and why it has that name
August's full Moon, the Sturgeon Moon, is full on . It is named for a big freshwater fish that was easiest to catch in late summer.
Next three
The next three Sturgeon Moon dates
- 405,069 km
- 402,058 km
- 394,267 km
The Sturgeon Moon is the first full Moon of August by UTC date. In a time zone far ahead of or behind UTC, the date you see for it can fall in the next or previous month.
The name
Why it is called the Sturgeon Moon
Sturgeon Moon is August's name in American almanacs. It comes from fishing: lake sturgeon, large bottom-feeding fish of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, were caught most easily in late summer, so the Moon of that month took the fish's name. It is a regional name that became part of the standard list.
Green Corn Moon and Grain Moon name the same full Moon after ripening crops. The Anglo-Saxon month list gives Weed Moon for August, and the modern revival list calls it the Dispute Moon.
- Usually in
- August
- Next full
- Distance then
- 405,069 km
- Supermoon then
- No
- Next three
- Aug 17, 2027 · Aug 5, 2028 · Aug 24, 2029
In the sky
How the Sturgeon Moon looks
By August the nights are lengthening again, and the Sturgeon Moon's rise, near sunset, comes a little earlier by the clock each week. At 40 degrees north it rises south-east and peaks about 37 degrees up. Heat haze low in the east colors it amber, and it looks larger there than it does high up, which is an illusion: the width stays half a degree.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks around August 12, and a full Moon within a few days of that washes out all but the brightest streaks.
August is late winter in the south. The Sturgeon Moon is still a high Moon there, about 68 degrees up at 35 degrees south, in cold, clear air. The fish and the lakes are northern; the Moon belongs to everyone.
- Northern Hemisphere
- The Moon rises in the east near sunset
- Southern Hemisphere
- The same Moon, markings turned upside down
- Colour
- Gold near the horizon, white once it climbs
- Rises
- Around sunset
- Sets
- Around sunrise
Questions people ask
Quick answers
When is the next Sturgeon Moon?
August 17, 2027 (UTC). The cards above show the next three, in your time zone.
Why is it called the Sturgeon Moon?
Sturgeon Moon is August's name in American almanacs. It comes from fishing: lake sturgeon, large bottom-feeding fish of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, were caught most easily in late summer, so the Moon of that month took the fish's name. It is a regional name that became part of the standard list.
Is the Sturgeon Moon a supermoon?
Not the next one: the Moon is 405,069 km away, farther than 361,400 km. Some years it is.
Does the Sturgeon Moon change colour?
The Moon only looks gold or orange when it is low and its light crosses a lot of air. Higher up it looks white.
Is this name the same everywhere?
No. These are the US almanac names. Other regions and traditions name the same full Moons differently, and the names are not one single tradition.