This week, the Sturgeon Moon rises, giving moongazers across the world the chance to see a beautiful full Moon skimming the horizon.
The Sturgeon Moon is the August full Moon, the eighth full Moon of the year, and rises on 9 August at 21:13 BST.
What’s more, the Sturgeon Moon marks the beginning of a lunar meeting with the Solar System planets, the Moon tracking eastwards across the sky night after night and encountering Saturn, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury.
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Why Sturgeon Moon?
The term ‘Sturgeon Moon’ is one of many nicknames given to monthly full Moons, which reflect key changes or events in nature occurring during the month in question.
August’s full Moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon because this is the time of year when sturgeon fish were most plentiful and easiest to catch in the Great Lakes of North America.
The name reflects both the ecological cycle – as sturgeon would come into shallower waters in August – and the cultural importance of the fish as a food source in North America.
Other names for the August full Moon are Lynx Moon, Grain Moon and Corn Moon.
It’s important to remember, however, that these nicknames don’t indicate the full Moon will look different to any other full Moon of the year.
Nevertheless, full Moon names are a reminder of the changing of the seasons and the importance placed on the phases of the Moon by various cultures throughout history.
Observing the 2025 Sturgeon Moon
The Sturgeon Moon rises in the southeast around 9pm, although the exact timing will depend on your location.
It will then set in the southwest after sunrise the following morning, 10 August.
The Sturgeon Moon is located in the constellation Aquarius, and won’t rise very high above the horizon.
That means there’ll be a chance to observe a phenomenon known as the Moon illusion, whereby the Moon looks enormous when it’s close to the horizon.
This is an optical illusion: the Moon is in reality no bigger than when you observe it high up in the sky.
Take a look at the Sturgeon Moon. Does it look huge to you?
Full Moon is also a good time to observe features known as lunar rays.
For more info, read our guide on how to make the most of a full Moon.
The Moon meets the planets
After the Sturgeon Moon has risen and set, the coming evenings offer a good chance to see the now-waning Moon meet the planets of the Solar System in the night sky.
This is because the Moon tracks eastwards in the sky, night after night, so if there are multiple planets visible in the sky, the Moon often makes an apparent close approach to each one in turn.
Effectively, the Moon will join in the August 2025 planet parade.
It begins on 11–13 August when the Moon is close to Saturn, first to the right of the planet, and then to the left of the planet the following evening.
On the evenings of 15–17 August, the Moon tracks past the beautiful blue open star cluster known as the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus.
The planet Uranus is currently close to the Pleides, which means the Moon is also passing Uranus, too.
Get out your binoculars or telescope and see if you can observe the distant world. For more info, read our guide to observing Uranus in August 2025.
In the very early hours of 18 August, and the following morning of 19 August, if you can get a clear view of the eastern horizon before sunrise, you’ll see the Moon forming a line with Mercury, Venus and Jupiter, stretching upwards.
Mercury will be very close to the horizon, followed by Venus, then Jupiter and the Moon at the top.
On 20 August, the Moon will have tracked further east, disrupting this multi-planet and Moon alignment in the sky.
But instead, the Moon forms a beautiful triangle with Venus and Jupiter.
Then on 21 August, the Moon is just above Mercury in the very early hours before sunrise.
From this point onwards, Mercury is becoming much easier to see in the morning sky, having emerged from the glare of the rising Sun.
This makes the 21 August meeting between Mercury and the Moon a standout moment for observing Mercury.
From 22 August onwards, the Moon is approaching its ‘new Moon’ phases, meaning it’s beginning to be swallowed by the morning sunrise.
If you observe the Sturgeon Moon or the Moon’s meeting with the planets this month, share your observations and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com