The Full Sturgeon Moon

Did you know that there are four supermoons this year?

Let me reassure you, I did not know either. I may be a photographer and love watching the night sky, but I live in a city in the middle of the Canadian Prairies, and light pollution does not make things easy. So I tend to avoid reading about the latest celestial events to avoid feeling sadness for not being able to see them with my own eyes. 😉

The supermoon is, in fact, one of the rare things that you can actually experience anywhere. Provided, of course, that the sky is clear.

So, when I read that the second supermoon of 2023 would be on display on August 1st, I decided to stay up later than usual to try and catch a few glimpses of the lady. It was a little cloudy but worth it! And I have photos to show you.

Before moving on, though, let me answer the following question: What is a supermoon?

The supermoon owes its name to astrologer Richard Nolle, who coined it in 1979. This event happens during a full or new moon, when our natural satellite is closest to the Earth in orbit (something like 363,300 kilometers or 226,000 miles). The result is a larger- and brighter-than-usual show in the sky. How much larger? Apparently, around 10-11%.

(Tomorrow, August 3rd, the Moon will be very "close" to Saturn.)

This specific supermoon is known as the Sturgeon Moon. It is named after the sturgeon, the oldest and largest native species of freshwater fish in North America's Great Lakes. Sturgeons have inhabited those lakes for at least 10,000 years and can be found there in crazy numbers this time of the year.

Sturgeons can be massive fish. On the American continent, specimens of 200 pounds (90 kg) and measuring 2 metres (6 feet) in length are a common sight.

Oh, and in case you did not know. Males have a lifespan of 55 years. But it is nothing compared to females, which can outlive them by about 100 years!

(You go, ladies! Show them how it is done! 😜)

Trivia question: What are other names for the Sturgeon Moon? The answer is at the end of this post.

And now, let me share a few shots from my session with the Moon. I took them during a span of 30 minutes, starting at midnight.

For those interested in particulars, here are the settings I used:

• Camera: Nikon D750
• Lens: Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED
• ISO: 100
• Focal length: 500 mm
• Aperture: f/11
• Exposure: 1/125

Please note that I did not edit my shots.

If you missed this supermoon, do not worry. There will be another one at the end of this month. The Blue Moon will happen on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. If the sky is clear, I will be in my backyard taking photos.

That's it for today. Thank you for reading!

NB: Other names for the Sturgeon Moon include Grain Moon, Corn Moon, Lynx Moon, and Lightning Moon.

Want to learn more about the Sturgeon Moon? Check out this great article from Space.com.

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Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).

Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.

Website: https://creativeramblings.com