Sky gleaming with the Sturgeon Moon, August 2025's full moon mesmerizes sky-gazers across the globe, adorning the heavens with brilliant light (pictures)
Sturgeon Moon Captivates Skywatchers Across the Globe
The Sturgeon Moon, a spectacle to the naked eye and a prized target for astrophotographers, made a stunning appearance in the skies on August 9 and 10, 2025. The full moon, also known as the Red Moon, was captured in all its glory by numerous photographers, showcasing its dramatic yellow-orange glow.
In New York City, Nazli Zeynep Karabulut captured a breathtaking view of the full Sturgeon Moon between the city's iconic skyscrapers on August 9. Meanwhile, Max Guliani posted a series of impressive moonrise shots to his X account, featuring the full lunar disk looming large between the iconic skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan on the same day.
Others focused on the moon as it tracked a low path through the summer sky, recording detailed images of the lunar surface. Tayfun Coskun, for instance, captured a high-contrast view of the lunar disk as it hung above Mt. Hamilton in San Jose, California, showcasing dark lunar seas, mountains, and impact sites like Tycho Crater.
Gary Hershorn lined up a slew of shots that featured the full Sturgeon Moon resplendent alongside the Statue of Liberty, including one well-timed composition that captured a passenger jet traversing the lunar disk on August 10. Meanwhile, Riccardo De Luca captured a beautiful shot of the orange-red Sturgeon Moon as it rose above the historic Colosseum in Rome.
For those who missed the live viewing, the lunar eclipse will be live-blogged on our website. In fact, if readers capture an image of the full Sturgeon Moon, they can share it with our website's readers by sending their photo(s), comments, and their name and location to our website's email address.
The Sturgeon Moon is named for the large lake fish that were abundant around this time of year, as the Anishinaabe people of the Great Lakes knew it as the 'Ricing Moon'. Interestingly, a total lunar eclipse is set to occur on September 7-8, 20XX, transforming the moon into a red "blood moon" for skywatchers in Asia, Australia, Europe, and Africa.
For those looking to enhance their moon-gazing experience, the Celestron NexStar 8SE telescope is highly recommended. This model offers an excellent motorized mount and 8-inch aperture, providing clear, detailed views of the lunar surface and other celestial objects. The NexStar 8SE is particularly suitable for moon observation and general stargazing due to its combination of power, portability, and user-friendly computerized tracking.
While the NexStar 8SE is ideal for detailed lunar observation, complementing it with powerful binoculars such as the Celestron Skymaster 15x70 can also be effective for wide-field scanning and initial spotting before focusing with the telescope. For astrophotography enthusiasts, the NexStar 8SE supports attaching cameras, enabling capturing the moon's distinctive yellow-orange hues caused by Earth's atmosphere during moonrise, a signature feature of the Sturgeon Moon.
Ismael Adnan Yaqoob captured the moon thousands of miles from New York as it drifted close to the lights of an amusement park in Mosul, Iraq on the same night. The Sturgeon Moon rose behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City, making for a truly memorable sight.
In summary, the Celestron NexStar 8SE is among the best telescopes for observing the Sturgeon Moon due to its balance of high aperture, precise tracking, and ease of use, making the lunar details and surrounding sky more accessible. Pairing it with quality binoculars can enhance your overall skywatching setup for this special full moon event.
- The stunning spectacle of the Sturgeon Moon, captured in photographs around the world, serves as a testament to the power of technology in shooting astrophotography.
- As the Sturgeon Moon rises, environmental-science enthusiasts can appreciate the interplay between the moon and the earth's environment, particularly noticeable in its distinctive yellow-orange hues.
- Meanwhile, for those who find space-and-astronomy fascinating, the upcoming total lunar eclipse on September 7-8, 20XX, promises a unique chance to observe a red "blood moon" from various continents, including Asia, Australia, Europe, and Africa.
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