Latest news with #skygazers
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
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 Solve the daily Crossword
CNET
4 days ago
- Climate
- CNET
The Aurora Borealis Is Back: These 18 States Have a Chance to See It Over 2 Nights
August has started heavy for skygazers. We are days away from August's sturgeon full moon and the peak of the Perseids meteor shower. Before those celestial events get underway, however, it seems that another sighting of the aurora borealis is going to sneak in Thursday and Friday and may be visible in up to 18 US states. Those states can be broken up into three categories. The first are states that will almost certainly see an aurora -- if conditions allow -- and include Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Next are the states that should at least see something, which include the northern portions of Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, Michigan and Maine. Finally, the states that may see something under the best possible conditions will be Iowa, northern Nebraska, Illinois, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. The very northern reaches of Indiana and Ohio may see something, but it's unlikely. This week's aurora comes to Earth courtesy of an M-class solar flare that the sun ejected on Tuesday. It was one of several solar flares observed in what has been a very active week for the sun, but this particular M-class flare was pointed right at Earth when it erupted. According to NOAA, the best times to see the aurora will be Thursday night into Friday morning, as that's when the geomagnetic storm will be the strongest, but Friday night into Saturday morning will also be a good time for the states bordering Canada. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a fairly active aurora on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8. NOAA Tips for watching the northern lights The standard space viewing tips apply. You'll want to get away from the city and suburbs to eliminate light pollution. The darker it is, the better. NOAA also recommends viewing between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, as that is generally when activity is at its zenith. Finally, if you can swing it, you'll want to get to an elevated position and look north for the best results. Since we are within a few days of a full moon, the moon's brightness may impact your ability to see things if you're at the southern reaches of this aurora. In addition, the strength of the aurora is a forecast, and just like weather forecasts, it may be stronger or weaker than predicted.
CNET
4 days ago
- Climate
- CNET
The Aurora Borealis Is Back: These 18 States Have a Chance to See It Over Two Nights
August has started heavy for skygazers. We are days away from August's sturgeon full moon and the peak of the Perseids meteor shower. Before those celestial events get underway, however, it seems that another sighting of the aurora borealis is going to sneak in Thursday and Friday and may be visible in up to 18 U.S. states. Those states can be broken up into three categories. The first are states that will almost certainly see an aurora -- if conditions allow -- and include Alaska, Washington, Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Next are the states that should at least see something, which include the northern portions of Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, Michigan, and Maine. Finally, the states that may see something under the best possible conditions will be Iowa, northern Nebraska, Illinois, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. The very northern reaches of Indiana and Ohio may see something, but it's not likely. This week's aurora comes to Earth courtesy of an M-class solar flare that the sun ejected on Aug. 5. It was one of several solar flares observed in what has been a very active week for the sun, but this particular M-class flare was pointed right at Earth when it erupted. Per NOAA, the best times to see the aurora will be Thursday night into Friday morning as that's when the geomagnetic storm will be the strongest, but Friday night into Saturday morning will also be a good time for the states bordering Canada. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a fairly active aurora on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8. NOAA Tips for watching the Northern Lights The standard space viewing tips apply. You'll want to get away from the city and suburbs to eliminate light pollutions. The darker it is, the better. NOAA also recommends viewing between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time as that is generally when activity is at its zenith. Finally, if you can swing it, you'll want to get to an elevated position and look north for the best results. Since we are within a few days of a full moon, the moon's brightness may impact your ability to see things if you're at the southern reaches of this aurora. In addition, the strength of the aurora is a forecast, and just like weather forecasts, it may be stronger or weaker than predicted.
