August's Full Sturgeon Moon Peaks Soon—Here's How to See the Celestial Phenomenon

Following July's impressive Buck Moon, stargazers are in for another spectacular sight as the moon reaches the waxing gibbous phase. This month, look into the night sky and see the full Sturgeon Moon, which occurs on Monday, August 19, at 2:26 p.m. EDT, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory.

A full moon occurs when the moon is opposite the sun, as seen by us from Earth. Per NASA, the moon will look full for a couple of days before it moves into the waning gibbous phase, which is the phase between a full moon and a half moon.

The full Sturgeon Moon will occult Saturn on August 20. An occultation occurs when an apparently big celestial object moves in front of an apparently small object. Since the moon and planets follow a very similar path across the sky, the moon occasionally moves in front of one of the planets, NASA states.

When the Sturgeon Moon occults Saturn it will also be an almost supermoon. A supermoon is a full moon that occurs when the moon is closest to Earth. This year, August's moon will be closest to Earth on August 21, just two days after the full moon occurs.

The Sturgeon Moon gets its name from the giant lake sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, this native freshwater fish was readily caught during this part of summer and has long been an important food source for Native Americans.