August Super Moon 2022: When will the Sturgeon Moon be visible in the UK?
10 August 2022, 16:13
The August 'Sturgeon Moon' will cause the orb to appear larger and brighter due to its distance from the Earth.
The final Super Moon of the year will light up skies across the UK this week.
The moon will appear larger and brighter than usual as it reaches the full moon stop of its cycle.
Also called the Sturgeon Moon, August's Super Moon will peak on August 12 at 1:36am, meaning you'll have to set your alarm if you want to see it in all of its full glory.
The reason August's moon has been given the status of Super Moon is because it will be closer to the Earth than usual.
In fact, a Super Moon will usually cast around 30 per cent more light onto Earth than it does when it is at its dimmest.
This is because the Super Moon will be closer to the sun's rays, and therefore will be able to reflect more light.
Nasa explain: “The term 'supermoon' was coined in 1979 and is often used to describe what astronomers would call a perigean (pear-ih-jee-un) full moon: a full moon occurring near or at the time when the Moon is at the closest point in its orbit around Earth.”
The Sturgeon Moon will be the fourth and final Super Moon of 2022.
Like all Full Moons, August's has been given a special name which derives from patterns in nature.
For example, August's Super Moon is dubbed the Sturgeon Moon because large sturgeon fish were more easy to catch in the Great Lakes at this time of year.
The name comes from the Algonquin tribes of what is now eastern North America.
