Celebration of Space - August 21, 2026
The Full Sturgeon Moon of August occurs on Friday, August 28, 2026.
On Friday, August 28, 2026 at 12:20 am ET, the Moon will arrive on the opposite side of Earth than the Sun, known as opposition. Commonly, this event is referred to as the full Moon. On this night, the side of the Moon that faces Earth will be in direct sunlight. The alignment will cause the Moon to rise with the setting Sun and set with the rising Sun, placing the Moon into the entire nighttime sky.
Like all full lunar phases, a common name applies. The August Moon is generally referred to as the Full Sturgeon Moon. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the August Moon gets its name from the giant lake sturgeon of Lake Champlain and the Great Lakes. Native American tribes in this region would catch sturgeon during the late summer, as it was an important food item in the region. Though sturgeon do exist today, their numbers are quite small compared to history due to overfishing and habitat damage. Other names the August full Moon have gone by are, the Corn Moon, the Ricing Moon, the Black Cherries Moon, and the Mountain Shadows Moon.
To catch a view of the Full Sturgeon Moon of August, usually we recommend heading out to a location with a good view of the ESE horizon and to be there for the 7:15 pm Moon rise. Though in 2026, the Sturgeon Moon will be accompanied by a lunar eclipse. So our recommendation would be to catch a view during the maximum eclipse period, which will be around 12:11 am on August 28th.
As previously stated, overnight August 27-28, 2026, a 93% partial lunar eclipse will occur, and residents of Southern New England are positioned very well for a view of the entire eclipse. Starting at 9:22 pm ET, the Moon will begin to enter Earth’s penumbra (our secondary or partial shadow). This is the penumbral eclipse stage of the event, which will continue until 10:32 pm. The penumbral eclipse will appear as an increasingly noticeable dimming on the eastern side of the Moon. After 10:32 pm, the partial eclipse stage begins, which will appear as a very noticeable sliver of the Moon starting to disappear on the bottom left of the Moon. This is happening due to the Moon entering Earth’s umbra (primary shadow). The partial eclipse onset stage will continue until 12:11 am, which is when maximum eclipse will occur for our region with 93.5% of the Moon in Earth’s umbra. Around this time is when the Moon will take on a very noticeable crimson hue. Partial eclipse outset will continue until 1:52 am, after which penumbral eclipse outset will continue until 3:03 am.
At Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center we will open for the entire eclipse, weather permitting. Starting at 9:00 pm, we will have several telescopes trained on the Moon, offering visitors different viewpoints of the Moon – from high magnification of specific regions to full disk views of the Moon at different magnifications. Additionally, we will live stream the entire eclipse to the large 40” panel in the Observatory dome, and the 85” panel in the Sky Theatre. Our YouTube channel will host a live stream of the eclipse as well. Our event will run until 3:00 am, which is right around when the penumbral eclipse ends. Though we have noticed over the years that visitors do not stick around for the penumbral outset stage of the eclipse. For those who are planning to visit, the event is still pending due to a forecast for clouds. That forecast can totally change over the next several days, as we’ve seen with most 2026 weather. The event has a ticket requirement and tickets cost $5/person. Check out our event page for additional information about the eclipse and to get tickets once they go on sale.
Now that the second half of August has arrived, the end of our Summer Stargazing Nights season is only a week away. On August 28, 2026 we will host our last Summer Stargazing Nights event of 2026, though we will continue to open every Friday through the autumn and winter seasons. The most notable change will be the end of our solar viewing program, which we run in the late afternoon on summer Fridays. In 2026 we’ve had a rather upsetting summer with most of our events clouded or rained out. It has been a large shift from the past several years, where we saw a cloudy June but July and August were spectacular. We are hopeful that the coming summer seasons will shift back to that schedule. Regardless, we have some awesome astro planned for the fall and winter. Check out our events calendar for updates.
On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at 1:49 am ET, the launch window opens for the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle carrying Starlink satellites. The launch will occur at Cape Canaveral, FL and will be visible to residents along the East Coast. In Southern New England the launch vehicle should become visible within five(5) minutes of the launch. Looking towards the SSW horizon, the launch vehicle will appear like a fast moving star or plan rising from the horizon heading eastward. Maximum altitude from our location will occur about nine(9) minutes post-launch at 18º over the SE horizon. Any location with a good view of the SW→East horizon will work for a view. Though at 18º, the launch vehicle should be quite visible from most locations that aren’t tree-bound. Note that launches are often scrubbed due to weather and other unforeseeable circumstances. Let us know if you catch a view.
