On the evening of Thursday, August 11, the fourth and final supermoon of the year will appear, known as the "Sturgeon Moon" in some parts of the world. August's full moon is also referred to as the Corn Moon and the Grain Moon, as well as the Red Moon. The full moon is expected to peak at 01:36 AM GMT when it is high in the sky, but it will appear larger when it rises in the east at sunset. The name "Sturgeon Moon" comes from the Algonquin Native American tribes, who noted that sturgeon are more easily caught at this time of year, according to NASA.
This full moon will be the last supermoon of 2022. A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, known as perigee. The supermoon can appear 14 to 30% brighter than a full moon at apogee, the point at which the moon is furthest from Earth in its orbit. It is noted that the peak of this supermoon will come just a day after the moon reaches perigee, which will occur on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 10. The moon will appear full from Wednesday to Friday.
As such, this will pose a challenge for astronomy enthusiasts in observing other sky activities, as the peak of the full moon on August 11 coincides with the Perseid meteor shower, which is one of the best meteor showers of the year. This event is a result of the Earth passing through the tail of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to orbit the sun. The Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak on August 13, but it will remain active until September 1.
