August’s full Moon will rise just days before the peak of the Perseids meteor shower
See the Sturgeon Moon before the Perseids peak(Image: Getty Images)
Sky watchers could be in with a chance of spotting bright and fast ‘shooting stars’ as the Sturgeon Moon glows in UK skies.
August’s full moon will coincide with the annual Perseids meteor shower, offering a rare chance to see two celestial events in one weekend.
What’s more, this year’s Sturgeon Moon will rise on both Saturday (August 9) and Sunday (August 10), offering two chances to witness the lunar spectacle.
What is the Sturgeon Moon?
A full Moon occurs when the Earth-facing side of the Moon is fully illuminated by the Sun.
Each month’s full Moon is given a special nickname, and the Sturgeon Moon is the traditional name given to August’s full Moon.
The Sturgeon Moon is named after the time of year when sturgeon fish – a large, prehistoric-looking fish – were most widely and easily caught in the Northern Hemisphere, typically in the Great Lakes of North America.
The Sturgeon Moon lit up skies all over the world last night(Image: Getty Images)When to see the Sturgeon Moon in UK skies
The Sturgeon Moon is set to rise after 9pm BST on Saturday (August). It will rise in the southeast and set in the west-southwest at around 7am on August 10.
On Sunday night, the Moon will rise again at around 9.10pm, setting at around 8am the following morning.
Like this summer’s Strawberry Moon and Buck Moon, the Sturgeon Moon won’t rise very high above the horizon, meaning it could appear bigger than usual in a phenomenon called ‘Moon illusion’.
How to see ‘shooting stars’ this weekend
Just days after the Sturgeon Moon is the peak of the Perseids meteor shower – one of the brightest and most active meteors showers of the year. It is expected to peak on the night of August 12-13, bringing up to 100 meteors an hour.
The shower started in around mid-July, meaning meteors, also known as ‘shooting stars’ have been visible for several weeks. That said, the days around the Perseid’s peak offer the best chances of witnessing the shower’s characteristic bright trails of light.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks next week(Image: Getty Images)
However, the bright Moon will bring significant light pollution to the night sky on the night of the Perseids peak, meaning it won’t be visible in all its glory – but the brightest shooting stars should still be visible.
The Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours, though NASA says it is possible to view meteors as early as 10pm. The best time to spot the shooting stars is after midnight and before 5.30am.
The meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky. Smartphone astronomy apps can help observers spot the radiant in the sky.
And if that’s not enough, a planet parade will form in the early morning sky on August 18. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, the Moon and Uranus will all be positioned in a straight line in the eastern sky. Saturn and Neptune will also be sitting together in the southwest.
Including the Moon, seven Solar System bodies will be positioned above the horizon at one time in the planetary alignment, with only Mars absent.