Two of 2023’s four supermoon events are happening this month.
The first of the month (and second of this year) is happening today. The Sturgeon moon will peak at 2:32 PM Eastern time. You should be able to see the Sturgeon Supermoon after sunset tonight in the southeast. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, we’ll have the chance to see the rising of the Sturgeon moon this evening.
The Sturgeon Supermoon was named after a fish that indigenous people used to catch frequently during this time of the year. This supermoon will illuminate the sky for three nights, and, because it is a supermoon, it will appear 17% larger and 30% brighter than the average full moon.
The Virtual Telescope Project Project is offering a live stream of the supermoon if you cannot get outside during its peak. The Farmer’s Almanac also offers a moonrise calculator that will tell you when you’ll be able to see the moon, as well as the percentage of visibility.
The Sturgeon moon is not the only Supermoon that will be happening this month. At the end of August, there will be a Blue Supermoon, which will not happen again until 2032. The Blue moon is the rare occurrence of a second full moon in a month, hence the saying “once in a blue moon.”
Though blue moons usually happen every 2.5 years, blue supermoons are much rarer. According to NPR, the last Blue Supermoon was in December 2009. The Blue Supermoon will reach peak illumination at 9:36 PM Eastern time.
