You Can See a Full Moon Tonight. Here's Why It Has 4 Nicknames

United States residents who missed the partial solar eclipse on Aug. 11 have another chance to see something wild in the sky this month. The August full moon — dubbed the “green corn moon,” the “grain moon,” the “red moon” and the “sturgeon moon” — will be visible in the sky soon.

The full moon reached its full phase on Sunday morning, according to space.com, which means the full moon will be visible about 24 minutes after sunset on Sunday, Aug. 26.

A full moon is often visible 24 hours before and after its peak, so stargazers may be able to catch a glimpse on Monday night, too.

So why does the Aug. 26 full moon have so many different nicknames? National Geographic explains the name “sturgeon moon” comes from North American fishing tribes, due to the abundance of the sturgeon species of fish that could be found in the month of August. The epithet “red moon” is due to the moon’s reddish hue, which is caused by the summer fog, according to National Geographic.

The August full moon’s other two nicknames — “green corn moon” and “grain moon” — can be traced to the native American harvesting ceremonies that began at the end of summer. The Green Corn Ceremony was typically held in late June or early July, and the Mature Green Corn Ceremony would take place 45 days later, according to Cherokee.org.

Earthsky.org says that the August full moon will be visible in every part of the world except “far-northern Arctic latitudes.”

So, no matter where you are tonight, look up. You might see something beautiful and red.

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