LAST supermoon of 2022: How to watch Sturgeon supermoon? Check date, timings and other details

After the Flower Moon of February, Strawberry Moon of June and Buck Moon of July, the Sturgeon Moon of August is the final supermoon of 2022. Find out how to check out the moon.

Pic courtesy: Pixabay

Sturgeon supermoon 2022: Alert, sky watchers! It is the last chance for you to view a supermoon in 2022. After the Buck Moon of July, August brings with itself the opportunity to view the Sturgeon supermoon. When the full moon - Earth's only natural satellite - coincides with its closest approach to the Earth in its orbit, one can view the supermoon. There are generally 3 to 4 supermoons per year, and in 2022, there have been four supermoons, including the current Sturgeon supermoon.

What is a supermoon?

A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point known as "perigee". During every 27-day orbit around Earth, the Moon reaches both its perigee, about 2,26,000 miles from Earth, and its farthest point, or apogee, about 2,51,000 miles from Earth.  In this phase, the Moon looks larger and brighter than usual. Reportedly,  supermoons radiate around 30% more light on Earth than usual. 

The main reason behind the phenomenon of supermoons is the fact that the moon orbits around the Earth in an elliptical or oval-shaped manner. So the distance between the Earth and the moon varies over time.

How many supermoons are seen in a year?

Supermoons only appear three to four times a year, and always happen consecutively.  The last Supermoon of 2022 will be visible on Thursday, August 11, 2022. According to NASA, it will also appear nearly full on Friday and Saturday. 

Last supermoon of 2022: Time and date

The Sturgeon supermoon will be visible on the full moon night of Thursday (August 11). The supermoon will peak around 01:36 am GMT at night. However, the moon will appear almost full and bright on Friday and Saturday. 

Why is it named the Sturgeon supermoon?

The Algonquin tribes that lived in the northeastern US called the full moon in August the Sturgeon moon. They named the moon after the large fish that were more easily caught during that time of year in the Great Lakes. According to NASA, in the 1930s, Maine Farmer's Almanac began publishing Native American names for full moons. That's how the moon derived its name.

When can we see the next supermoon?

After the Flower Moon of February, Strawberry Moon of June and Buck Moon of July, the Sturgeon Moon of August is the final supermoon of 2022. According to CBS News, the next supermoons won't be visible until August 1, 2023, and August 31, 2023, and they attributed the fact to In-The-Sky.org, an online guide to what you can see in the night sky.