Stunning photos capture August's Sturgeon Moon
A lunar eclipse coincided with August's full Moon to make the celestial display even more spectacular
The August full Moon, also referred to as the Sturgeon Moon, graced the sky over the UK on Thursday night. A fortunate addition was a lunar eclipse experienced by some parts of the world, where the Sun, Earth, and Moon aligned. BBC Weather Watchers captured breathtaking photos of this celestial display, peaking pre-dawn in the UK.
The Moon often appears reddish during a partial lunar eclipse, such as the one witnessed in the UK. Earth intervenes between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Moon to pass through the Earth's shadow. The Earth's atmosphere scatters sunlight, with shorter blue wavelengths being more effectively scattered, allowing more of the longer wavelength red light to reach the Moon.
This reflected red light contributes to the eclipsed Moon's reddish hue. Historically, full Moons have been given names to aid in tracking time and monitoring seasonal changes. The August full Moon is named after the abundance of sturgeon fish during this time in North American rivers. In September, the next full Moon will be dubbed the Harvest or Corn Moon, marking the period for traditionally gathered crops. However, the UK has experienced early harvests this year due to the summer's extreme heat.
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