It's a phenomenon that many people look forward to every year. Super Moons - pink, blue, etc. - don't have the virtues they're supposed to have, and there's no amazing color in the sky on those evenings when the moon is full! On the night of August 19 to 20, 2024, the so-called "Sturgeon Moon " will light up the summer sky, with a slightly brighter-than-usual luminosity and an impression, seen from Earth, that the star is larger than usual.
The first Super Moon of the summer, this full moon is described as 14% larger and 30% brighter than a classic, and occurs as the Moon is closest to its orbit, at perigee. As is the case every year, several of these phenomena take place one after the other during the summer season, much to the delight of astronomy enthusiasts. If the difference is almost invisible to the naked eye, a telescope will allow you to enjoy them to the full!
To see it at its best, you'll have to wait until 8:28 pm on August 19, in the constellation Aquarius. By then, it will be 364,422 km from Earth! But where does the expression "Super Moon" come from? It dates back to 1979, when astrologer Richard Nolle decided to use the term"Supermoon" to describe this phenomenon, which has since been adopted by NASA and the media. Scientists, on the other hand, prefer the term"perigee-syzygy".
As for the surprising name for sturgeon, it comes from the 1930s, when the Farmer's Almanac in Maine began publishing Native American names for full moons. The one at the beginning of August was thus associated by these people with the sturgeon, a fish presumably easier to catch at this time of year in the Great Lakes! Don't miss out on the Perseids, which will be lighting up the sky at the same time!
Other Super Moons are expected this year, on September 18, October 17 and November 15, which are quite late compared to previous years!
