A full moon this weekend will be like no other that happens this year.
The full moon that will rise Saturday into Sunday has the distinction of being both a “blue moon” and a “sturgeon moon.”
It will be a blue moon because when there are four full moons in a single season, the third one of those is considered a blue moon. Sunday’s will be the third.
The reason it is called a sturgeon moon is a bit more straightforward, according to the Farmer’s Almanac: “August’s full moon was traditionally called the sturgeon moon because the giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught during this part of summer.”
The moon will become full at 8:02 a.m. ET Sunday. It will appear large in the sky Saturday night through Sunday morning.
If you miss it, you’ll have to wait two more years — until Aug. 30, 2023 — to see a blue moon again.
And while it is called a blue moon, it won’t look blue. It will likely have an orange or red hue as it rises due to dust.
