On August 28, 2026, we will be treated to the full Sturgeon Moon and a partial lunar eclipse. The full Moon occurs at exactly 12:18AM EDT. The partial lunar eclipse reaches its maximum at 12:12AM EDT. See more about the eclipse below. If you’re up early you can catch this full Moon before it sets at 7:11AM EDT and of course it will still look big, full, and bright when it rises at 8:17PM EDT later that evening. Native American names for full Moons are rooted in their knowledge of the natural world and their observed changes to this world from month to month. August’s Moon gets its name from the lake sturgeon, the largest freshwater fish in North America. In late summer, and particularly in August, these fish were quite abundant and easy to catch. They were an important food source for many Native American tribes who lived in what are now the St. Lawrence, Hudson Bay, Great Lakes, Mississippi River and Coosa River watersheds. The importance of this fish made it the perfect inspiration for the name of the August Moon. Today, many people are not familiar with the lake sturgeon. The origins of these fish trace back to around 136 million years ago. Their long history and the fact that they look prehistoric have led many to refer to them as living fossils. These once abundant fish that were so important to so many Native American tribes are now quite rare due to overfishing in the 1800’s, pollution and damage to their habitat. Although Sturgeon Moon is the most common name for August’s full Moon there are so many others. There are names associated with plants and harvesting such as the Lakota name Moon of the Ripening. The southern plains Ponca tribe call this the Corn is in the Silk Moon, and the Assiniboine people call it the Black Cherries Moon. There are August Moon names associated with animals. For instance, the Arapaho call this Geese Shedding Their Feathers Moon and the Cree call it the Young Ducks Begin to Fly Moon. Summer heat and drought conditions have given rise to names such as the Catawba name Dry Moon and the Shoshone name Hot Moon. The Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest call it the Mountain Shadows Moon. Although we couldn’t witness the total solar eclipse on August 12 the August full Moon will treat us to a deep partial lunar eclipse beginning late on Thursday, August 27, and ending early in the Morning on Friday, August 28. A lunar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a solar eclipse. A partial lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon but the three don’t form a straight line in space. When this happens part of the Moon’s surface is covered by the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, the umbra, and the rest is covered by the lighter outer part of the Earth’s shadow, the penumbra. During this eclipse Earth’s umbra will cover about 96% of the Moon at maximum eclipse which is why it’s called a “deep” partial eclipse. This part of the Moon may glow coppery orange or red in color, very much like a blood Moon. This leaves only a sliver of the Moon covered by the penumbra shining a bright silvery color. The penumbral eclipse begins at 9:30PM, August 27, when the Moon begins moving into Earth’s penumbra shadow. The umbral part of the eclipse begins at 10:30PM as the Moon moves into Earth’s umbra shadow and begins turning red. At 12:12AM, August 28, the maximum umbral part of the eclipse is reached. At 1:51AM the umbral part of the eclipse ends and at 3:01AM the penumbral part of the eclipse ends. In total the eclipse lasts 5 hours and 38 minutes. If you have the opportunity, take time to enjoy the full Sturgeon Moon and the partial lunar eclipse.
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Behold the beauty of the Indigo Bunting! This stunning sky-blue bird can be regularly spotted at TWC during the summer months, the males glowing like sapphires with their vibrant plumage. They are members of the Cardinalidae family, which includes cardinals, grosbeaks, and buntings. Preferred habitat includes brushy and weedy forest edges, open deciduous woods, creeksides, and farmland. At TWC Headquarters they can be spotted in the woods along the trails as well as taking dust baths out in the open on the rural roads. A slow drive down Alabama Avenue and Foxfield Street can often treat visitors to an Indigo Bunting sighting. When they aren’t foraging in low grasses and brushes or bathing, they like to find the highest perches in the area from which to sing all summer long. One of their nicknames is “blue canaries.” These small songbirds feed on seeds, insects, spiders, flower buds, and berries. They can also be attracted to backyard feeders with thistle and nyjer. Indigo Buntings are nocturnal migrants, using the stars to navigate. Scientists studied this behavior using captive buntings in a planetarium in the 1960s, determining that the birds possess an “internal clock” that allows them to adjust their angle of orientation to a star, even as the star moves through the sky. The fall migration south of these brilliant birds occurs September through October, so they will be leaving our area in the near future. Be sure to visit TWC soon to enjoy the beauty of the Indigo Bunting!
