Sturgeon Moon

Sturgeon Moon 2026: Quick Facts

The Full Sturgeon Moon peaks on Friday, August 28, 2026, at 12:18 AM EDT (04:18 UTC), and this year it rises alongside a deep partial lunar eclipse that will cover roughly 93% of the Moon's face — a near-total eclipse visible across the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

Peak illumination	Friday, August 28, 2026, 12:18 AM EDT / 04:18 UTC
Best viewing night	Thursday, August 27 into early Friday, August 28
Also called	Grain Moon, Green Corn Moon, Red Moon, Lightning Moon, Wort/Wyrt Moon, Flying Up Moon, Black Cherries Moon
Constellation	Aquarius
Distance from Earth	~390,000 km (242,600 mi) — near apogee
Supermoon?	No. The Moon is near its farthest point from Earth, so it will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than average.
Lunar eclipse?	Yes — a deep partial (near-total) lunar eclipse, greatest eclipse at 4:41 UTC / 12:41 AM EDT, covering about 93% of the Moon.
Meteor shower nearby?	The Perseids peaked August 12–13, two weeks earlier — unrelated to this full moon.
Last full Moon of summer?	Yes, for 2026 — the September equinox falls September 22, before that month's full Moon.

August's Names

The "Sturgeon Moon" takes its name from the giant lake sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. The name is traditionally associated with the season when lake sturgeon were most readily caught in parts of the Great Lakes region, and the Moon served as an important natural calendar for seasonal activities like fishing and harvesting. Lake sturgeon are true living fossils, with a lineage tracing back over 100 million years, and some females can live more than a century. August's full Moon is also known by several other names:

The Grain Moon & Green Corn Moon European settlers and Anglo-Saxon farmers called it the Grain Moon for the small-grain harvest underway in late summer, while Eastern Woodland nations knew it as the Green Corn Moon, marking the corn filling out its kernels before the true harvest.
The Red Moon Some folklore sources refer to it as the Red Moon because of the coppery, amber haze that often colors the Moon as it rises through the thick, humid air of late-summer evenings — an optical effect, not a lunar eclipse, caused by dust and moisture scattering light near the horizon.
The Lightning Moon Used in some regional folklore for the dry, late-summer thunderstorms and heat lightning that flicker along the horizon in August — the last gasp of the season's convective storm activity before autumn's cooler, calmer air moves in.

Why "Sturgeon" and Not "Corn" or "Grain"?

Sturgeon Moon has become the dominant name in modern usage largely thanks to the Farmers' Almanac and Old Farmer's Almanac, both of which popularized it as the standard August name in the 20th century. Corn Moon and Grain Moon are older and arguably just as historically valid, but Sturgeon has stuck — perhaps because the image of a six-foot, prehistoric-looking fish is simply harder to forget.

Dates to Watch

Because the lunar cycle runs about 29.5 days, the Sturgeon Moon's date shifts every year — sometimes falling in early August, sometimes right at the month's end.

Past (2024) August 19
Past (2025) August 9

2026 Friday, August 28th Peak Illumination: 12:18 AM EDT — best viewed the evening of Aug 27

🌘 Coincides with a deep partial (near-total) lunar eclipse the same night

This is one to actually stay up for: the full Moon and the eclipse peak within about 25 minutes of each other, so if you catch the full Moon rising on the evening of August 27, you're set up to watch the eclipse deepen through the night.

FEATURED EVENT

Will There Be an Eclipse With the 2026 Sturgeon Moon?

Yes. The August 28, 2026 Sturgeon Moon coincides with a deep partial lunar eclipse — sometimes called a near-total eclipse — during which Earth's shadow will cover about 93% of the Moon's face. It's visible overnight on August 27–28 across Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, Iceland, most of the Americas, and the eastern Pacific. No eye protection is needed to watch it; unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to view with the naked eye, and binoculars or a small telescope will only improve the view.

Eclipse Timeline (All Times Aug 27–28, 2026)

Stage	ET	CT	MT	PT
Penumbral begins	9:23 PM	8:23 PM	7:23 PM	6:23 PM
Partial begins	10:33 PM	9:33 PM	8:33 PM	7:33 PM
Greatest eclipse (~93%)	12:41 AM	11:41 PM	10:41 PM	9:41 PM
Partial ends	1:52 AM	12:52 AM	11:52 PM	10:52 PM
Penumbral ends	3:02 AM	2:02 AM	1:02 AM	12:02 AM

All times shown are local. "Greatest eclipse" is the moment of deepest, darkest shadow — your best window to watch for the coppery-red glow along the Moon's edge.

What You'll Actually See

At 93% coverage, this eclipse may resemble a total lunar eclipse to casual observers, although a bright uneclipsed sliver of the Moon will remain visible. As Earth's shadow creeps across the Moon, expect the covered portion to take on a deep red-orange "blood moon" glow — sunlight bent through Earth's atmosphere, the same physics that colors a sunset — while that thin, bright sliver near the northeastern edge stays lit.

Where it's best seen: This eclipse favors the Western Hemisphere. Observers in the eastern and central US and Canada get the full show at a comfortable evening-to-midnight hour; western North America catches greatest eclipse before or around 10 PM local time. Western Europe and Africa see it in the pre-dawn hours instead.

This will be the deepest lunar eclipse visible from North America until the next total lunar eclipse. Bookmark this page — we'll keep the timeline current as the date approaches.

Source: NASA eclipse predictions (EclipseWise, Fred Espenak).

Sturgeon Moon Meaning and Folklore

Where July's Buck Moon marked midsummer's peak, the Sturgeon Moon signals the turn — often the last full Moon of astronomical summer, rising over rivers thick with fish, fields heavy with grain, and skies that still flicker with late-season storms. Here are six stories that capture its character. Note: "Sturgeon Moon," like all full Moon names, is a traditional seasonal label — it doesn't reflect any physical change in the Moon itself.

The River Giants

Algonquian Tradition – Sturgeon Moon

Each August, lake sturgeon moved into shallow, sun-warmed waters in numbers that made the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain look alive with silver-grey backs. These armored, ancient-looking fish — some over six feet long and older than the surrounding forest — were an important late-summer food source. The full Moon served as a natural calendar for this and other seasonal work, and communities gathered at traditional fishing grounds during the bright nights it provided.

Grain Under a Bright Sky

European & Colonial Traditions – Grain Moon

Across Europe and the colonial Americas, August's full Moon lit the fields where small grains — wheat, oats, barley — stood ready for cutting. Farmers raced the changeable late-summer weather, working by moonlight when needed to bring the harvest in dry. The Grain Moon wasn't just a name; it was a deadline written into the sky, a reminder that summer's abundance had to be gathered before it turned.

The Flying Up Moon

Cree Tradition

Among the Cree, August's full Moon is known as the Flying Up Moon, named for the season when young birds — hatched in spring, grown through summer — take their first real flights. It's a moon of independence and readiness, marking the moment when the year's new life stops relying on the nest and starts testing the wider sky, right as the nights begin drawing in.

Copper Skies, Distant Thunder

Regional Folklore – Red Moon & Lightning Moon

Late-summer air runs thick with heat and moisture, and as the full Moon climbs through it near the horizon, it often takes on a deep amber or copper cast — the same scattering effect that reddens a sunset. Some folklore sources call this the Red Moon because of that reddish appearance. The same skies, still charged from summer's heat, often crackle with distant heat lightning along the horizon, silent and flickering — the source of the less common Lightning Moon name.

The Wort (Wyrt) Moon

Anglo-Saxon Tradition – Wort/Wyrt Moon

"Wort" is an old English word for plant or root — the same root that gives us "St. John's wort" — and Anglo-Saxon farmers used it to mark the point in late summer when herbs and medicinal plants were at their most potent and ready for gathering and drying. It's one of the older recorded names for August's full Moon, tied less to the sky than to what was thriving underfoot.

The Black Cherries Moon

Assiniboine Tradition – Black Cherries Moon

The Assiniboine name for August's full Moon marks the ripening of wild black cherries, a key late-summer food source that darkened and sweetened on the branch just as the nights began to lengthen. Like the Sturgeon and Grain names elsewhere, it ties the Moon directly to what the land was offering at that exact moment in the season.

Science & The Sturgeon Moon

A Living Fossil, Now Endangered

Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) have changed little in over 100 million years, giving them a genuinely prehistoric look — a long armored body, whisker-like barbels, and a lifespan that can exceed 100 years for females. Once abundant enough to be caught by the boatload, the species was pushed to the brink by 19th-century overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. The IUCN and WWF both identify sturgeon as a family as the single most critically endangered group of species on Earth, with the majority of the world's remaining sturgeon species classified as Critically Endangered.

Why This Full Moon Isn't a Supermoon

The Moon reaches apogee — its farthest point from Earth in its monthly orbit — just days before the August 28 full Moon, putting it around 390,000 km away versus an average of roughly 384,400 km. That means it will appear very slightly smaller and dimmer than a typical full Moon, the opposite of a supermoon. The next supermoons of 2026 fall later in the year.

Perseids Already Peaked — Here's What's Left

If you're looking for meteors around the Sturgeon Moon, you've just missed the year's best shower: the Perseids peaked the night of August 12–13, 2026, under dark, nearly moonless skies. By the time the Sturgeon Moon arrives on August 27–28, meteor rates have dropped off substantially — the sky's main event this time is the eclipse, not shooting stars.

Source: eclipse and apogee data from NASA/EclipseWise.

Viewing the Sturgeon Moon & Eclipse

🐟 Moonrise: Evening of Thursday, Aug 27 — Eclipse peaks 12:41 AM EDT / 9:41 PM PDT

Watch Moonrise, Then Stay Up for the Eclipse Catch the full Moon rising low and amber in the east right after sunset on August 27, then check back around 10–11 PM local time as the partial eclipse begins deepening toward greatest eclipse after midnight.
No Equipment Required Unlike a solar eclipse, this is completely safe to view with the naked eye at every stage — no glasses, filters, or special gear needed. Binoculars will sharpen the view of the shadow's edge, but aren't necessary.
Get Away From City Lights The full Moon itself washes out faint stars regardless of location, but a darker sky will make the reddish tint of the eclipsed portion far more vivid and easier to photograph.
Set an Alarm for Greatest Eclipse Greatest eclipse (about 93% coverage) hits at 12:41 AM EDT / 11:41 PM CDT / 10:41 PM MDT / 9:41 PM PDT. That's the single best moment to look up if you can only catch one part of the night.

"The Sturgeon Moon doesn't arrive quietly — it rises heavy and amber over the last warm nights of summer, then spends the small hours slipping into shadow."

A Year of Moons: Names & Meanings

Every full moon spins its own seasonal tale, reflecting nature's rhythm from deep winter to the cusp of the next cycle. Here's a luminous guide to the traditional names and their essence.

🌕 Wolf Moon (January)

Kicks off the year with echoes of wolf packs calling through the frozen wilds—symbolizing endurance, pack loyalty, and clever survival in the harshest cold.

🌕 Snow Moon (February)

Blankets the landscape in stillness and deep drifts—a quiet call to conserve energy, embrace introspection, and trust that warmth will return.

🌕 Worm Moon (March)

Signals the underground stir as worms rework the soil, drawing robins and early gardeners alike—the earth's first lively exhale after winter's long sleep.

🌕 Pink Moon (April)

Showcases the soft pink spread of phlox across meadows—bursting with fresh color, hope, and the joyful unfurling of new growth.

🌕 Flower Moon (May)

Lights up a riot of blossoms everywhere—celebrating peak fertility, abundance, and nature's most vibrant display of life.

🌕 Strawberry Moon (June)

Aligns with the ripe, ruby harvest of wild strawberries—a sweet invitation to savor simple joys and the earth's generous gifts.

🌕 Buck Moon (July)

Named for bucks sprouting new velvet antlers—embodying vigorous growth, summer thunder, and the pulse of peak vitality.

🌕 Sturgeon Moon (August) ← You Are Here

Named for the giant lake sturgeon of the Great Lakes—marking summer's last full Moon, watery bounty, and this year, a striking near-total lunar eclipse.

🌕 Corn Moon (September)

Marks the golden ripening of corn and grains—urging us to harvest summer's efforts and celebrate the fruits of hard work.

🌕 Harvest Moon (Late September/October)

The closest full moon to the autumn equinox, bathing fields in extra light for late harvesting—a gentle bridge into shorter days.

🌕 Hunter's Moon (October)

Reveals game in cleared fields under crisp skies—time to prepare stores for winter, blending strategy with gratitude for the hunt.

🌕 Beaver Moon (November)

Watches beavers rush to fortify dams before ice sets in—a moon of diligent preparation and cozying up against approaching cold.

🌕 Cold Moon (December)

Rises amid the year's longest nights over a quiet, frosted world—inviting reflection, rest, and quiet hope for the light's return.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Sturgeon Moon?

The Sturgeon Moon is the traditional name for the full moon in August. It's named after the lake sturgeon, a large, ancient freshwater fish native to the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, which Algonquian-speaking nations caught in the greatest numbers during this part of late summer. The name was popularized in modern usage by the Farmers' Almanac and Old Farmer's Almanac.

When is the Sturgeon Moon in 2026?

The 2026 Sturgeon Moon reaches peak illumination on Friday, August 28, at 12:18 AM EDT (04:18 UTC). Because the peak falls just after midnight on the East Coast, most of North America will see the fullest Moon on the night of Thursday, August 27, into the early hours of Friday.

Will there be a lunar eclipse with the 2026 Sturgeon Moon?

Yes. The August 28, 2026 Sturgeon Moon coincides with a deep partial lunar eclipse, with greatest eclipse at 4:41 UTC (12:41 AM EDT), covering about 93% of the Moon's surface. It will be visible overnight across Africa, Europe, most of the Americas, and the eastern Pacific, and is safe to view with the naked eye — no eclipse glasses required, unlike a solar eclipse.

Why is the August full moon called the Sturgeon Moon?

The name comes from the lake sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, a native freshwater fish that Algonquian-speaking nations caught in the greatest numbers during August, when warm, shallow waters made the fish easiest to find. The full moon set the schedule for these fishing trips, so the moon and the fish came to share a name.

What are other names for the Sturgeon Moon?

August's full moon is also known as the Grain Moon and Green Corn Moon (for the small-grain and corn harvests), the Red Moon (for its amber, late-summer haze), the Lightning Moon (for late-season heat lightning), the Wort or Wyrt Moon (Anglo-Saxon, "plant moon"), the Flying Up Moon (Cree, marking young birds' first flights), and the Black Cherries Moon (Assiniboine, for ripening cherries).

Is the Sturgeon Moon a Supermoon?

No — the 2026 Sturgeon Moon is not a Supermoon. The Moon is near apogee, its farthest point from Earth, at around 390,000 km away compared to an average distance of roughly 384,400 km. This means it will appear very slightly smaller and dimmer than a typical full moon, rather than larger and brighter.

Do I need eclipse glasses to watch the Sturgeon Moon eclipse?

No. Lunar eclipses are entirely safe to view with the naked eye at every stage, unlike solar eclipses. You can watch the entire event — from the first subtle shading to the deep red "blood moon" glow at greatest eclipse — without any glasses, filters, or special equipment. Binoculars or a small telescope will enhance the view but aren't required.

Source: NASA/EclipseWise.