It appears in summer during fishing season. It’s name is steeped in Native American folklore. The full moon in August was called the Sturgeon Moon after the overabundance of the bottom-dwelling fish that for centuries helped sustain tribes around the Great Lakes region.
This year’s full Sturgeon Moon falls on Aug. 9 at precisely 3:55 a.m. Eastern Time. But it will also accompany a spectacular astronomical phenomenon worthy of setting your calendars by—a celestial alignment of six planets.
A ‘Fossil’ of a Fish
Considered a “living fossil,” sturgeon have fed indigenous tribes since before the time of the pyramids in Egypt over 4,000 years ago, and was even a food source for the first settlers of Jamestown in 1607, saving their lives. Taking on greater significance than mere sustenance, sturgeon embedded themselves into native folklore and spirituality….