Everything you need to know about the supermoon happening tonight

full moon supermoon — The supermoon is a beautiful astronomical event you won’t want to miss. (Photo by Fabian Oelkers on Unsplash)

The next full Moon will occur this afternoon, Monday, Aug. 19, and it will be a spectacle you won’t want to miss. This full Moon will be what is known as a “supermoon,” which means our Moon will be within 90% of its closest approach to Earth.

Simply put, supermoons are biggest and brightest full Moons you’ll ever witness. You can catch the next one in the night sky starting tonight, and it will be visible for the following three days.

This supermoon, as recognized in other traditions

full buck moon astronomical events — Did you know about all the other names for the supermoon? (“Full Wolf Moon” by James Marvin Phelps is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

Since this is the third full Moon in a season with four full Moons, this supermoon is also considered a “Blue Moon.” However, other cultures have unique names and traditions that coincide with this special event, which are listed below:

Algonquin tribes call it the Sturgeon Moon, as the sturgeon was most easily caught during this time of year in the Great Lakes and other large bodies of water.
This full Moon coincides with the Hindu festival Raksha Bandhan, which symbolizes the bond between brothers and sisters in their culture.
On moon-based calendars (the Chinese Year of the Dragon, Safar in the Islamic calendar and Av in the Hebrew calendar.

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