Sturgeon moon – the last supermoon of the year – captured in spectacular photos around the world

The sturgeon moon — August’s full moon — took over the night sky on Thursday, giving onlookers around the world a spectacular view of the year’s last supermoon.

This sturgeon moon is considered the fourth supermoon in a row after the Buck moon in july, Strawberry moon in June and Flower moon in May. A supermoon refers to a full moon when the moon is within 90% of perigee – Earth’s approach to Earth.

According to NASA, the Sturgeon moon peaked at about 9:36 p.m. EDT Thursday evening. Also on Friday and Saturday it will seem almost full.

Here are some of the photos of the sturgeon moon from around the world.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Kosice, Slovakia

Liverpool, England

Istanbul, Turkey

How did it get its name? Beginning in the 1930s, the Maine Farmer’s Almanac began publishing Native American names for full moons, NASA said. Based on this almanac, Algonquin tribes living in the northeastern U.S. named the August full moon the sturgeon moon after the big fish that were easier to catch in the Great Lakes that same time of year.

The sturgeon moon may surpass another major celestial event: the Perseid meteor shower. The most popular annual meteor shower, which is active from July to September, will peak between Friday and Saturday.

NASA suggests the best time to look for the meteors is after midnight on Saturday, and viewers should be away from light pollution. The agency said to look north and away from the moon’s gaze.

The next supermoons won’t be until August 1, 2023 and August 31, 2023, according to In-The-Sky.org, an online guide to what you can see in the night sky.