Barrie 
A Super Sturgeon Blue moon will rise on August 19th.
Sturgeon Moon
The full moon in August is historically called the Sturgeon Moon, named after North America’s largest fish, the lake sturgeon. This is because the full moon’s rising coincides with an abundance of sturgeon caught in North America’s Great Lakes.
According to the Farmers’ Almanac, it is also known by different nicknames in different cultures, such as Flying Up Moon (Cree), Corn Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe), Harvest Moon (Dakota), Black Cherries Moon (Assiniboine), and Ricing Moon (Anishinaabe).
Supermoon
Supermoons are called so because they occur when the Moon is nearest to the Earth, which makes them larger and brighter when viewed from Earth.
The August full moon is a supermoon because it is within the definition of 90% of the perigee position (varies from 356,355 to 370,399 km). On August 19th at 18:26 (UTC), the moon will be 361,970 kilometres from Earth. In a typical year, there will be 3 to 4 supermoons (5 in 2024). Four more supermoons will follow tonight’s Supermoon.
During supermoons, the moon will appear only about 14% bigger and 30% brighter (i.e., an increase in the moon’s illuminance by 0.28 magnitude) than when it is at the farthest point.
While the moon will appear bigger, and the change in illuminance is hardly perceptible to the human eye, the moon will look pretty much like any other full moon, except that you know it is a Super Sturgeon moon!
Blue Moon
There are two definitions for a blue moon: the second full moon in a month or a third full moon in a season of four moon. Usually, there are 12 full moons in a year, and occasionally, there are 13 full moons. Tonight’s full moon fits the second definition; hence, you can see a Super Sturgeon Blue moon tonight.
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- Where to Stargaze in Alberta: Dark Sky Areas and Observatories
- Dark-Sky Preserves in Canada
HOW & WHEN TO WATCH:
The moon’s illumination will be at its peak on the night of August 19th. However, to the casual stargazer, the moon will appear equally full the night before and after its peak.
To glimpse this spectacular moon, look towards the southeastern sky after sunset on August 19. The moon will set around midnight tonight and tomorrow.
If you are in Manitoba, you can head to Dominion City to take a picture of the Sturgeon moon against the world’s largest sturgeon (roadside attraction).
