Rockford Gets A Look At 2022’s Last Super Moon Thursday Night
For you skywatchers keeping score at home, the fourth and final super moon of 2022, known as the Sturgeon Moon, will happen this Thursday, August 11th, at around 8:36pm local time.
This is somewhat of a good news/bad news situation, since the Sturgeon super moon's appearance will clash with another celestial show, the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower, which will be going on at the same time.
Wait, Isn't Both The Sturgeon Super Moon And The Peak Of The Perseid Meteor Showers Taking Place At The Same Time A Bonus For Skywatchers?
You'd think so, but it doesn't quite work that way, at least according to a statement put out by NASA.
While most observers in North America would normally be able to see 50 or 60 meteors per hour during the peak of the Perseids, the full Sturgeon super moon will reduce the visibility of meteors to about 10-20 per hour at the most due to its overwhelming brightness:
The Moon is so much brighter than anything else in the night sky, and it will wash out all but the very brightest Perseids as they streak through our atmosphere and burn up far overhead.
It Looks Like Rockford's Weather Will Cooperate With Anyone Who Wants To Do Some Star/Moon Gazing Thursday Night
Thursday is expected to be a clear day, with a high of 78 and a minimal chance of precipitation, and Thursday evening/night appears (at this point in the week, anyway) as though it's going to be very clear and cool with an overnight low of 56. Perfect, or near-perfect viewing conditions.
The traditional name for the August full moon is the Sturgeon Moon, due to Native Americans’ reliance on the huge numbers of sturgeon that were pulled from the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The Anglo-Saxons referred to the August full moon as the “Grain Moon,” while the Celts called it the “Lynx Moon,” according to TimeandDate.com.