Full ‘Sturgeon’ Moon Will Join a Stunning Planetary Alignment Next Month—What to Know

An illustration of the full Sturgeon Moon. Shutterstock/vovan/Thomas Hasenberger/bphuyal/vovan/bphuyal

It appears in summer during fishing season, and its name is steeped in Native American folklore. The full moon in August acquired the moniker of Sturgeon Moon after the overabundance of the bottom-dwelling fish that for centuries helped sustain tribes around the Great Lakes region.

This year’s full Sturgeon Moon falls on Aug. 9 at precisely 3:55 a.m. Eastern Time. But it will also accompany a spectacular astronomical phenomenon worthy of setting your calendars by—a celestial alignment of six planets.

A ‘Fossil’ of a Fish

Considered a “living fossil,” sturgeon have fed indigenous tribes since before the time of the pyramids in Egypt over 4,000 years ago, and was even a food source for the first settlers of Jamestown in 1607, saving their lives. Taking on greater significance than mere sustenance, sturgeon embedded themselves into native folklore and spirituality.