The last supermoon of 2022 will peak this week. The Sturgeon moon, as August’s full moon is called, will coincide with the peak of the Perseids meteor shower. And, because the moon is so bright during a supermoon event, it will be much harder to see the meteor shower that day. However, you’ll be able to get a great look at the full moon as it rises in the sky on August 11, 2022.
When to watch the last supermoon of 2022
To catch the last supermoon of 2022, sky watchers will want to head outside on Thursday, August 11, 2022. The supermoon will be roughly 224,569.1 miles from Earth, so it won’t appear as closely as July’s supermoon did. As always, supermoons aren’t that different from normal full moons. However, they look bigger because the moon’s orbit comes closer to Earth.
If you want to catch the best view of a supermoon, you’re going to want to head outside while it is rising or setting. That should be around 7:30-8:00 p.m. on Thursday. The moon itself will reach peak illumination around 9:36 p.m. EST, according to Almanac.com. Or, if you want to catch the last supermoon of 2022 setting, you can head out in the morning around 5:00 a.m.
The Sturgeon moon
Of course, this month’s Sturgeon moon will be a spectacle even without the supermoon monocle. That’s because every full moon gives us a grand view of our planet’s celestial partner. Much like the other full moons, we celebrate throughout the year, August’s full moon has several names. Perhaps the most common, though, is the Sturgeon moon.
The Sturgeon Moon is named after the giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. It’s named so because these massive fish were most readily caught during this part of the year. The name has ties to Native American, colonial American, and European sources. As the last supermoon of 2022, it’s also one of the last chances you have to see the moon at its biggest and brightest.
Of course, as I noted above, this bigger and brighter appearance isn’t as great as you might expect. In fact, they say a supermoon is only seven percent bigger than normal. The last supermoon of 2022 also goes by names like the Flying Up Moon, the Corn Moon, Harvest Moon, and the Rising Moon. So, take your pick, grab your favorite sky watcher attire, and get a glimpse of this supermoon later this week.
