When is August's full moon? What to know about Aug. 9 sturgeon moon.
The August 2025 full moon is coming to a sky near you.
August's sturgeon moon will reach peak illumination on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, at 3:55 a.m. EDT. The full moon should be visible as it rises in the sky on the evening of Friday, Aug. 8, weather permitting, of course.
It's known as the sturgeon moon thanks to the giant fish that were once plentiful this time of the year in the waters of the northeastern United States.
The full moon will be visible just before the popular Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak around Aug. 12 to 13.
Unfortunately for meteor viewers, the bright full moon could actually interfere with meteor shower viewing, astronomers said. According to a description of the meteor showers on Space.com, "this year's spectacle comes with one major caveat: moonlight. The 80% illuminated waning gibbous moon will rise a few hours before midnight on Aug. 12 and remain high above the southern horizon until dawn, washing out all but the brightest meteors."
Why is it called the Sturgeon moon?
Full moon names are traditionally rooted in Native American culture or have Colonial American influences, according to the Farmer's Almanac.
According to the almanac, the name sturgeon moon comes from the giant lake sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain; this native freshwater fish was readily caught during this part of summer and an important food staple for Native Americans who lived in the region.
"At one time, the lake sturgeon was quite abundant in late summer, though they are rarer today," the Almanac said.
As for the fish themselves, these prehistoric-looking fish have been traced back to around 136 million years ago, and many people call them 'living fossils.'
What are some other names for August's full moon?
Alternative names for the August full moon refer to seasonal crops and more. Some of these names include:
Is there a supermoon in August 2025?
No, there is no supermoon in August. The first supermoon of the year typically occurs in the later months, and this year it will be in October.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
US wants to put a nuclear reactor on the moon in next ten years, NASA chief says
The United States wants to put a nuclear reactor on the moon in the next ten years, according to a NASA directive obtained by The Independent. President Donald Trump's NASA chief Sean Duffy has expedited the timeline to build the reactor, and wants it to have at least 100 kilowatts of power - enough to run about 80 homes - and be ready to launch by 2030. The directive, first reported by Politico, mentions China and Russia's joint effort to place a reactor on the moon by the mid-2030s. The two U.S. adversaries first announced their plans in March 2024. 'The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first,' Duffy warned in the directive. NASA is working with the Energy Department and the broader space industry to design a fission power system that would provide at least 40 kilowatts of power. The space agency has already mentioned the benefits of developing fission surface power (FSP) on the moon and Mars. 'Relatively small and lightweight, fission systems are powerful and could enable robust operations on the Moon and Mars,' NASA states on its website. NASA's Artemis campaign aims to establish the first long-term presence on the moon. During Trump's inaugural address, he said the U.S. would launch astronauts 'to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars.' 'It is about winning the second space race,' a NASA senior official also told Politico. In Duffy's new timeline, a Fission Surface Power Program Executive will be designated within 30 days of the directive. The executive 'is empowered to provide reporting and updates with maximum transparency directly to the Administrator,' the NASA chief wrote. Within 60 days, NASA will ask for industry proposals for the nuclear reactor, according to the directive. The directive mentioned Trump's budget request for the 2026 fiscal year, which includes $350 million for a new program 'that will accelerate the development of high priority technologies for Mars, (i.e. FSP).' The funding would increase up to $500 million starting in 2027. Trump's budget request also proposes a huge cut to NASA, with The Planetary Society, a global non-profit space organization, reporting it's the smallest budget proposed for the agency since 1961. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Experts sound off after Trump and NASA fast-track a nuclear reactor on the moon: ‘The whole proposal is cock-eyed'
Fast-tracking a NASA plan to build a nuclear reactor on the moon may sound dubious. Experts say that's because it is. 'The whole proposal is cock-eyed and runs against the sound management of a space program that is now being starved of money,' national security analyst, nuclear expert and author Joseph Cirincione told The Independent. Nuclear has been used in space since the 1960s. That's nothing new. The U.S. launched its first test reactor into orbit in 1965, and the former Soviet Union has sent up dozens more. NASA says that a new 100-kilowatt reactor could be used to power a future base at the lunar South Pole, and fuel prospective missions to Mars and beyond. Nuclear would help to fill gaps in solar energy that occur when that side of the moon is in darkness for two weeks. The majority of space experts have said that placing a reactor on the moon is possible, so, why is NASA's current plan 'cock-eyed?' The problem is the proposed timeline. Interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, who also serves as President Donald Trump's Secretary of Transportation, pushed to expedite the project, detailed in a memo this week. Duffy said the administration wanted to have a nuclear reactor ready to launch by 2030. Earlier this year, China and Russia announced a plan to build a nuclear reactor for a lunar base by 2035. 'The first country to do so could potentially declare a 'keep-out' zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first,' Duffy said. NASA first announced in 2021 that it would put a reactor on the moon 'within a decade.' In 2024, NASA then said that their target date for delivery a reactor to the Earth-based launchpad was the early 2030s. But, Cirincione says essentially no progress has been made. 'It was in the last Trump administration that NASA had put out a press release, they had a YouTube video, they had these announcements about how they're going to develop these small, modular nuclear reactors for use on the moon, and it was going to be ready by 2026,' said Cirincione, who is vice-chair of the Center for International Policy, a non-profit that advocates for a peaceful approach to foreign policy. 'Oh, really? So, where is it?' Ultimately, the expert believes a nuclear reactor on the moon could take up to 20 years to become a reality. NASA would need a working launch vehicle, a small and adaptable reactor, and the ability to land on the moon. Right now, the SpaceX Starship is the only vehicle option – but it has exploded during several of its test flights. NASA has been working with Boeing on a Space Launch System - the main competitor to Space X's Starship - but that program would be canceled under the Trump administration's proposed cuts which slash 24 percent from NASA's overall budget. Landing on the moon is no picnic, and attempts by Japanese space companies in 2023 and 2025 ended in crashes. There are also the scientific and technological advances needed for the nuclear reactors. The reactors must be able to withstand harsh conditions on the moon, including temperatures swings from 250 degrees Fahrenheit during the day to minus 400 degrees at night. 'Small modular nuclear reactors, it turns out, are always just around the corner – a corner you never get to turn,' Cirincione said. Many scientists and nuclear energy experts have shared in Cirincione's skepticism. Dr. Kathryn Huff, a former nuclear energy official at the U.S. Department of Energy, and professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, wrote in a Bluesky social media post that she's not 'bullish' on 'unrealistic timelines.' 'The 2030 target does not align well with recent budgetary trends…' she explained in a statement, shared by the university. 'Accelerating the FSP program could come at the expense of other critical priorities, including earth science, climate observation and space-based weather forecasting – all core elements of NASA's public-serving mission.' Dr. Alfredo Carpineti, an Italian astrophysicist, wrote in IFLScience this week that the proposal is 'unfeasible.' 'Even if we allow landing the nuclear reactor on December 31, 2030, the timing is really too short for something that must not have any faults if you want to operate it safely,' Carpineti wrote. Others were more optimistic about NASA's accelerated timeline. Sebastian Corbisiero, a senior program manager at Idaho National Laboratory who leads the Energy Department's space reactor program, told The Independent that a nuclear reactor on the moon is 'doable' by 2030. 'Nuclear reactor technology has been around for decades, so its well known,' he said. 'Some key differences with a space reactor is that it needs to fit on a rocket, so there are mass and volume requirements; and that the system needs to operate in vacuum – so components will need to be built to survive that environment.' Dr. Bhavya Lal, a former associate administrator for technology, policy, and strategy at NASA, and former aerospace executive Roger Myers, recently argued that it would be possible to have nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, and it would take $3 billion to do so. 'It's possible, but it will require serious commitment,' Lal told The Independent. But even if plans are speeded up, Lal says there's no need to worry about the prospect of the moon blowing up. It's 'simply not grounded in science,' she said. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Legendary Astronaut Dead at 97. He Was Part of Famous Missions
James Lovell was a legendary astronaut who was part of multiple famous missions, including one disastrous one. He was a "veteran of the Gemini VII, Gemini XII, and Apollo 8 missions before becoming the Mission Commander for the nearly disastrous Apollo 13 mission to the Moon," according to NASA. The space agency announced on Aug. 8 that Lovell has died. James Lovell's Family Confirmed His Death, Expressing Pride Over His Career NASA released a statement from Lovell's family, confirming his death. 'We are saddened to announce the passing of our beloved father, USN Captain James A. 'Jim' Lovell, a Navy pilot and officer, astronaut, leader, and space explorer. He was 97," the family's statement says. "We are enormously proud of his amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight. But, to all of us, he was Dad, Granddad, and the Leader of our importantly, he was our Hero. We will miss his unshakeable optimism, his sense of humor, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind.' NASA says, "Captain Lovell was selected as an Astronaut by NASA in September 1962. He has since served as backup pilot for the Gemini 4 flight and backup Commander for the Gemini 9 flight, as well as backup Commander to Neil Armstrong for the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission." "On December 4, 1965, he and Frank Borman were launched into space on the history-making Gemini 7 mission. The flight lasted 330 hours and 35 minutes and included the first rendezvous of two manned maneuverable spacecraft," the space agency says. "The Gemini 12 mission, commanded by Lovell with Pilot Edwin Aldrin, began on November 11, 1966. This 4-day, 59-revolution flight brought the Gemini program to a successful close." Jim Lovell's Wife Marilyn Lovell Preceded Him in Death A biography of Lovell released by NASA says he was "Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 25, 1928. Married to the former Marilyn Gerlach, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They have four children." Lovell's wife Marilyn Lovell died in 2023, according to her obituary. "On June 6, 1952, Marilyn and Jim married immediately following his graduation at St Anne's Episcopal Church in Annapolis, MD. Jim would proudly tell everyone he, 'married the prettiest girl from Wisconsin!'" the obituary says. Legendary Astronaut Dead at 97. He Was Part of Famous Missions first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 8, 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
