Welcome to the eighth in a series of posts about the names of full moons. If you missed the others, you can click the following links.
- The Wolf Moon (January)
- The Snow Moon (February)
- The Worm Moon (March)
- The Pink Moon (April)
- The Flower Moon (May)
- The Strawberry Moon (June)
- The Thunder Moon (July)
The August Moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon. The sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were said to be most readily caught during this full Moon. Other names include Black Cherries Moon, Mountain Shadows Moon, and Ricing Moon.
Interesting Facts
- According to Farmer’s Almanac, a blue moon refers to the second of two Full Moons in the same month. It can also refer to the emergence of four, instead of three Full Moons in a “season,” defined as the period between a Solstice and an Equinox. When this occurs, the third of the four Moons is considered the Blue Moon.
- Native American names for the full moons vary from tribe to tribe, hence the reason for several names.
- A bit of family history. My brother once hiked through Grand Canyon by the light of an August moon. He started on the north rim and came out on the south rim. He planned his visit to coincide with the full moon.
- Folklore says that babies born the day after the full Moon enjoy success and endurance.
- This month’s Sturgeon Moon occurrs on August 22.
- This is also a seasonal blue moon. There are various definitions of a blue moon (see above).In this case, this year’s August moon is the third of four full moons to occur during the summer season.
Superstition
There is a legend that says if a member of the family dies during a blue moon, three more will follow. I once wrote a short story titled The Blue Moon Murders based upon this superstition.
Do you ever make plans according to the phase of the moon? I’d love to hear about your adventures.
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40 Responses
I have the song Blue Moon in my head now. I never knew what a blue moon actually was! I am impressed with your brother’s hike, what an experience that must have been.
My brother was (and still is) quite the adventurer. That summer, he rode a bicycle from San Antonio, Texas to Moab, Utah. It’s around 1000 miles. A friend met him in Moab where they drove to the north rim of the canyon. Then the friend picked him up on the south rim. Needless to say, he had lots of stories from that trip.
I love learning about moons, Joan. So much folklore around them. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’ve enjoyed writing this series, Harmony. The more I look, the more I learn.
My husband is an amateur astronomer. He makes plans according to a full moon (to AVOID them as they make it hard to see the planets and nebulas beyond). But me, I don’t make any plans by them. I just think of moon phases as another way Nature marks the passage of time.
That is the one thing with full moons, Priscilla. They make it hard to see the stars. I don’t really plan anything around them either, but note the date of each full moon.
You know I love moon lore. Thanks for sharing.
Shared brain again.
I love your moon lore posts, Joan! And this year, I’ll get to enjoy the Sturgeon Moon on my birthday. I know it’s not full, full until the 22nd, but it will be full enough for me to enjoy on the 21st!
Hey, close enough. Start the celebration early, Jan.
I don’t plan anything based on moon phase but folklore reference you mentioned made me curious of the moon phase for the day of my birth. I looked up the lunar calendar for that year and date and it turns out it was a waning gibbous. Interesting!
I looked mine up a while back. I think I was also waning gibbous. I know it wasn’t a full moon.
This is an interesting one. Makes me want to pick up my sturgeon rod and test this over at the Snake River.
Sounds like a plan. I would love to escape to the wilderness somewhere!
I love your brother made a Grand Canyon hike by the light of a full moon! This is such a fun series where I’m learning new moon facts:) Thanks, Joan.
Denise, he hiked into the canyon by day. It was so hot, he spent the day beneath a shade tree.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the series
I can image how hot it was there.
He told me there was a rattlesnake not too far from him (during the day). It was too hot for the snake to move.
I remain enamored of this series. I will take a look at the moon on the 22nd and think of my blogging friend.
Aw, that’s so sweet of you, Rae!
I love these posts, Joan. Your brother sounds a lot like one of my sons. He hikes/climbs up and down mountains across the U.S. and beyond (and races on his bicycle). Your brother’s approach with a full moon is amazing. 😊
He was (well, still is) quite the adventurer. He spent that entire summer traveling from San Antonio to Moab, Utah by bicycle.
I really enjoy this series, Joan. Since Mae mentioned it, I had to look up the moon phase for my date of birth. One website said it was a full moon, but another said it was a waning gibbous. I sound more like that description than full, lol.
I thought mine was waning gibbous as well, but as it turns out it was the last quarter. Funny thing, I looked up my brother’s birthday and he was close to a full moon.
Very informative, Joan. Thank you
You’re welcome, John!
😁
I read my horoscope every day and the astrologer always mentions full moons and dark moons, so he makes me think about them. My daughter’s a nurse and swears people get cranked up during full moons.
Some of the nurses I work with swear patient’s behavior changes during a full moon, especially those who work in behavioral health. Thanks for stopping by, Judi!
Is your brother going to write a book? Sounds like he has all the material necessary.
Thank you again for sharing about the different moons. Fascinating!
Probably not, Karen. He’s written a few short pieces but he says he’d never publish anything because he never stops editing!
You’ve given me an idea. I need to write some if his stories so the family will have them to pass down. I regret not doing that with my mom. I only have my memory of those stories to rely on.
I encourage you to do just that.
Thanks, Karen.
I love the moon lore you post about. It is fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Michele. Writing these posts has been interesting.
[…] I will return next Monday with my regular post, but I do want to include this meditation because we are still under the big influence of the August Full Blue Moon. And if you missed Joan Hall’s post on the August moon, here is the LINK. […]
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