MANY Scots will have noticed the massive supermoon splitting the sky this week as the nights become slightly longer.
What some may not have known is that this supermoon, the last of the calendar year, has a special name, and no, it does not have anything to do with the country’s First Minister.
The Sturgeon Moon is the third closest supermoon of the year and is one of a number of quirky names given to the calendar’s lunar phenomenon, alongside May’s Flower Moon, June’s Strawberry Moon and July’s Buck Moon.
A supermoon is when the moon looks larger in the night sky due to it being closer to the earth. However, this month’s supermoon is still 2000 miles further away than the supermoon that appeared in July.
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Why is it called a Sturgeon Moon?
The names for the moons come from Native American nomenclature and were first published in the Maine Farmer's Almanac in the 1930s.
Explaining its etymology, Nasa says: "According to this almanac, as the full moon in Aug. the Algonquin tribes in what is now the northeastern United States called this the Sturgeon Moon after the large fish that were more easily caught this time of year in the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water."
It is also known as the Green Corn Moon, the Raksha Bandhan festival Moon, Nikini Poya and the Tu B’Av holiday Moon.
When will it peak?
August’s moon will peak on Thursday and carry on into Saturday morning, with the moon appearing to be almost full in this period. Nasa has said that the best chance to see the moon will be 2.36am early on Friday.
Saturn will also appear above the moon in a stunning display on Thursday, night and into Friday morning.
Stargazers will then get the year’s best view of Saturn, as the planet will be at its closest and brightest on Sunday.
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