All For The Taking

Tonight's a wonderful night in the world of astronomy!

First, it's the full moon of August, and this one is named the Full Sturgeon Moon. The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.

Any way you call it, you must call it beautiful!

Secondly, tonight is a total lunar eclipse! The Earth will move between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow upon the moon. Here, in the west, we have a pretty good chance of seeing a nice view of it. You'll see the Earth's shadow creep across the moon's face as the Earth blocks out the sun's light. The best view will be at 3:37 a.m. That's EARLY, but ohhhhhh, so worth the rise!! So set your coffee maker for a little earlier tonight before heading to bed. Get your binoculars out (even better, a telescope!) and head on out to view one of Nature's best celestial shows! You won't even have to wait in line for popcorn!