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Look for Sturgeon Moon to shine down tonight |
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August 7, 2017 |
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| Day and
night sides of Earth at the instant of
the August full moon. |
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The moon may have looked full and round in last
night's sky, yet this August full moon actually
falls today, August 7, at 11:11 a.m., which is
during the daylight hours for us in the
Americas.
Normally, it’s not vital whether the crest of
the moon’s full phase falls in daylight or
darkness for your part of the globe. Tonight's
full moon is a bit different, however, because
it will undergo a shallow partial lunar eclipse.
We in the Americas will miss it because the full
moon crests in daylight for us.
And a full moon is always opposite the sun, up
all night. Thus the moon will be below our
horizon when the eclipse takes place.
In North America, we often call the August full
moon the Sturgeon Moon, Green Corn Moon or Grain
Moon.
The fishing tribes are given credit for the
naming of this Moon, since sturgeon were most
readily caught during this month. A few tribes
knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the
Moon rises, it appears reddish through any
sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn
Moon or Grain Moon.
Technically speaking, the moon is full for a
only fleeting instant – when the moon is
180-degrees from the sun in ecliptic longitude.
The worldwide map below shows you the day and
night sides of the world at the instant of the
August 7 full moon.
Africa and Europe will see the partial lunar
eclipse after sunset tonight. India and western
Asia will see it around midnight. Eastern Asia,
Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand will see it
before sunrise August 8. This eclipse will not
be visible in the Americas.
Everyone around the word, however, will see a
full-looking moon in the east at dusk or
nightfall on August 6 and 7, highest up for the
night around midnight and sitting low in the
west at dawn. The moon stays more or less
opposite the sun for the duration of the night
after darkness falls for these next few days. |
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