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From MoonGiant.com
The Full Moon for this month will occur early in the month on Tuesday, August 1st and 31st. The New Moon will happen later in August on Wednesday, August 16th.
What is the August Full Sturgeon Moon?
August’s full moon is called the Full Sturgeon Moon, after the primitive fish that used to be abundant in North America’s lakes and rivers during the summer months. Having remained mostly unchanged since the earliest fossil records, sturgeons are ancient living fossils that can grow up until 3.5 meters long, or as long as two adult humans stacked on top of each other. Nowadays, however, it’s almost impossible to see a sturgeon during the Full Sturgeon Moon. While they used to thrive, sturgeons are now considered the single most critically endangered group of species on earth – and you might be part of the reason why.
Have you ever eaten caviar? Some species of sturgeons are harvested for their roe, which is then processed into caviar. Because of this, wild sturgeons have been exploited to the brink of extinction due to overfishing and illegal poaching. In addition, they are also vulnerable to water pollution, and their breeding grounds are often damaged due to agriculture and lumbering. Though sturgeons are extremely long-lived – the females can live up to be 150 years old – sturgeons might not be around for much longer. They might have survived the dinosaurs, but they might not be able to survive human beings and our hunger for luxurious delicacies like caviar. But there is something even more terrifying than hungry human beings: hungry ghosts.
In China, the Full Sturgeon Moon is known as the Hungry Ghosts Moon. August’s full moon coincides with the Hungry Ghosts Festival, which is when the gates of hell open up and the hungry dead once again walk amongst the living. The Chinese prepare offerings of food and money to satisfy the ghosts’ hunger, make them happy, and prevent them from causing havoc amongst humankind. In Malaysia and Singapore, Chinese communities set up musical stages and host performances, making sure to always leave the front row empty for the honored guests – the hungry ghosts. Under the full moon, people light lotus-shaped water lanterns and float them on lakes, rivers, and pools, in order to provide light for lost souls to find their way safely back into the afterlife.
Despite the macabre atmosphere of the event, the Hungry Ghosts Festival actually originated as a harvest festival during the Han Dynasty, during which farmers would pray to their ancestors and report their autumn harvest to them. Due to Taoist and Buddhist influences, folk beliefs combined with religious ceremonies to form the Hungry Ghost Festival. In Japan, which also had Buddhist influences, this festival is celebrated as the Obon festival. Japanese communities wear yukata, eat and make merry at carnivals, and perform the Obon dance.
In North America, Native American tribes also saw the Full Sturgeon Moon as signifying a time of bountiful harvest. The Cherokee tribes called it the Full Fruit Moon, and many other First Nation tribes referred to it as the Black Berries Moon. The Sioux called it the Moon When All Things Ripen. The Paint Clans, which were known for their medicinal prowess, would harvest herbs and medicines, while the Wild Potato tribes would forage for food. Naturally, they would also catch a lot of sturgeon. You, on the other hand, may want to celebrate the Full Sturgeon Moon by telling your friends about the importance of saving its critically endangered namesake.
From almanac.com
TWO supermoons in August mean double the stargazing fun! The full Sturgeon Moon reaches its peak on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, and then we have a full Blue Moon on Wednesday, August 30, 2023—and it will be the closest supermoon of the year! Learn more about the TWO full Moons of August.
When to See the Full Moons in August 2023
August 1: Full Sturgeon Moon
August’s first full Moon will appear on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 1, reaching peak illumination at 2:32 P.M. Eastern Time. That evening, look toward the southeast after sunset to catch a glimpse of the Sturgeon Moon rising.
You may have heard that there are four supermoons in a row this year; the August 1 supermoon is the second supermoon of this unusual sequence. “Supermoon” is a catchy term for what astronomers call “a perigean full Moon” which is when the full Moon happens at (or very near) the exact time when the Moon is closest to us in its orbit.
A supermoon exceeds the disk size of an average-sized Moon by up to 8% and the brightness of an average-sized full Moon by some 16%. You may not perceive the difference in size, but a supermoon will appear brighter in the sky.
August 30: Blue Moon
Later in the month, a second full Moon, a Blue Moon will make an appearance. The term Blue Moon is most commonly used when we have two full Moons in a single month. On Wednesday, August 30, the Full Moon will peak at 9:36 P.M.
August 30-31 supermoon will be the closest, biggest, and brightest full supermoon of 2023. It’s exceptionally close in Moon miles from Earth (222,043 miles). The next time we’ll have a closer full supermoon is November 5, 2025, when the moon lies 221,817 miles from Earth.
→ Consult our Moonrise and Moonset Calculator to see precisely when the Sturgeon Moon and the Blue Moon will be visible in your area!
Why Is It Called the Sturgeon Moon?
The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not solely to the full Moon.
The Sturgeon Moon
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.
Alternative August Moon Names
Flying Up Moon is a Cree term describing the time when young birds are finally ready to take the leap and learn to fly.
Corn Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe), Harvest Moon (Dakota), and Ricing Moon (Anishinaabe) signify that this is the time to gather maturing crops. Along the same vein, the Assiniboine people named this period Black Cherries Moon, referring to when chokecherries become ripe.
The Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest traditionally called this time of the season the Mountain Shadows Moon.
→ See all Full Moon names and their meanings.
Moon Phases for August 2023
See Moon phase dates and times below. Note: All dates and times are ET. Go to the Moon Phase Calendar for your time zone.
Moon Phases for August 2023
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Full Moon: August 1, 2:32 P.M. |
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Last Quarter: August 8, 6:28 A.M. |
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New Moon: August 16, 5:38 A.M. |
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First Quarter: August 24, 5:57 A.M. |
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Full Moon: August 30, 9:36 P.M. |
Best Days in August 2023
Below are the best days for activities, according to the Moon’s sign and phase in August.
| Activity | Best Days |
| Cutting Hay | 5, 6 |
| Harvest Aboveground Crops | 26, 27 |
| Fishing | 1, 16–30 |
Moon Folklore
Clothes washed for the first time in the full Moon will not last long.
If you glimpse the new Moon over your right shoulder, you will have good luck.
To have a project prosper, start it during the new Moon.
Babies born a day after the full Moon enjoy success and endurance.
Witches Of The Craft® 
When I was a youngster, I went fishing with my father and I caught a sturgeon which I am told was about 1.5 feet long. I named it, if I remember right, Fred.
I didn’t want to eat Fred, so my father allowed me to keep him in the bathtub.
At the time, it felt like I had got to spend a lifetime with Fred. In actuality, it was about a week, maybe 2. It was enough time to witness Fred’s growth – when I last saw Fred, he was nearing on 3 feet, quite the beautiful specimen.
When I entered the bathroom to find an empty tub, my father was near at hand. Thinking back, this is when I learned so much about relationships – Thanks Dad :^) My father explained that Fred had spent as much time with me as he and I had needed, and that now, it was time for Fred to spend time with someone else, someone else who also needed the love and companionship that Fred could provide. I cried, of course, at the loss of my friend, and my father let me know that crying at this time was absolutely understandable. After a few minutes, he finished explaining how each of us may need a “Fred” sometimes, and that, should I need a “Fred” again, Fred will return to help me – but Fred will never look the same way again, because, just as we grow and look different, so will Fred.
I was about 5 or 6 when I first experienced time with Fred. And, I know that I have had any other “Fred” times, and every time, the “Fred” I need has been there for me.
Such a powerful and valuable lesson to come from fishing with my dad. I am almost 60 ow and still remember the lessons of Fred, and every sturgeon moon reminds me of Fred and my father – Lovely.
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Thank you for sharing this touching story with us. Happy Fred moon!
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