When is the August full moon? See peak time, cloud forecast for Sturgeon Moon
The moon will shine bright when the sun sets on Friday evening, Aug. 8, but the official peak of the August 2025 full moon is not until the early morning hours of Saturday, Aug. 9, according to Time and Date.
Moonwatchers willing to stay awake for the nighttime spectacle will have the chance to peer at it while at its brightest.
Here's when and how to get the best view of this year's Sturgeon Moon.
How can I see the Sturgeon Moon?
In North America, the Sturgeon Moon will peak, or reach its highest point and illumination, on Saturday, Aug. 9. Times vary by location:
How difficult will the moon be to see? NWS cloud cover forecast
Sky condition, or the average amount of the sky covered with thick clouds, can sometimes impact how visible the moon is.
Around 2 a.m., just under two hours before the Sturgeon Moon peaks, sky cover will be higher in southeastern states such as Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, midwestern states such as South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, and also Montana in the western U.S.
The map below shows the National Weather Service's forecasted sky cover at 2 a.m. on Aug. 9. Areas shaded in gray are expected to have greater cloud cover.
Tips for seeing the moon this weekend
The moon will be visible without any special tools, but those wanting to see more details on the surface of the moon can invest in stargazing binoculars and backyard telescopes.
According to Time and Date, those wanting to see the moon and stars that night can try the following:
Why is it called the Sturgeon Moon? Other names include Corn Moon
The Sturgeon Moon's name comes from the sturgeon, a freshwater fish that was once abundant in the Great Lakes in North America around this time of year, according to Time and Date. Sturgeon can measure over 6 feet long and weigh around 200 pounds.
The fish dates back to 136 million years ago, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Native Americans living near the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain once caught the fish during late summer and it became a regular part of their diets. Today, there are about 29 species of sturgeon.
Other names for the Sturgeon Moon include the Corn Moon (Algonquin and Ojibwe people), the Harvest Moon (Dakota people), and the Mountain Shadows Moon (Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest), the Old Farmer's Almanac said.
The almanac added that more names and meanings for the Sturgeon Moon include:
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
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August's full moon reaches peak illumination this weekend. The best time to see it and the cloud forecast.
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a … sturgeon? Sky-gazers will be able to enjoy August's spectacular full moon — known as a 'sturgeon moon' — at peak illumination this weekend. For those in North America, it will start Friday night and go into early Saturday, just days ahead of next week's highly anticipated 2025 Perseid meteor shower. Even if you're in a big city with lots of lights, viewers can still see the moon's brilliance overnight Friday into Saturday. An open field or elevated location with an unobstructed view facing the eastern horizon are the best spots for viewing the moon as it rises. Sky-gazers will be able to see the full moon with the naked eye, but binoculars or a telescope will allow them to see the details of the lunar surface. Here's when to see the sturgeon moon and the forecasted cloud cover in the U.S.: When exactly will it appear? The sturgeon moon will be visible starting Friday night, Aug. 8, into the early hours of Saturday morning on Aug. 9. The moon will be at its fullest at 3:55 a.m. ET on Saturday, as indicated by EarthSky. What will the cloud cover look like early Saturday? Cloud cover could also be a factor, depending on where you're planning to see the full moon. The map below shows the forecasted cloud cover at 2 a.m. ET on Aug. 9 from the National Weather Service. The areas shaded in gray are expected to have greater cloud cover. Why is it called a 'sturgeon moon,' anyway? Each of the full moons in the calendar year has a name. They are specific to the U.S., because their names come from "Native American, Colonial American and European sources," according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. August's full moon is named after the sturgeon because it's the peak time to catch the giant fish that's native to the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. Sturgeon was an important food staple for Native Americans who lived in that region, the Old Farmer's Almanac explains. The prehistoric-looking fish has been traced back to more than 100 million years ago and consists of 29 species worldwide. Sturgeon are known as a 'living fossil' because of how virtually unchanged they've remained for all this time. Their size can vary widely, from that of a bass to 'nearly as big as a Volkswagen,' according to the University of Michigan. What are the phases of the moon? The moon's cycle lasts for 29.5 days and goes through eight phases during that time: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent. Unlike some other full moons, the sturgeon moon is not considered a supermoon, which occurs when the moon is at its closest distance from Earth, nor a micromoon, designated as such when the moon is at its farthest distance away from Earth. How many more full moons will we see this year? After August, there will be four more full moons this year. There will be supermoons in October, November and December. Here's the list of remaining moons in 2025, according to the Farmers' Almanac: Sept. 7: Corn moon Oct. 6: Harvest moon Nov. 5: Beaver moon Dec. 4: Cold moon
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