The Sturgeon Moon is August's full moon, one of the twelve named full moons of the year. This is your guide to when it rises in 2026, where its name comes from, what it is traditionally said to mean, and a simple ritual to mark it. You can always see tonight's exact moon phase in the Almanac.
When is the Sturgeon Moon in 2026?
In 2026 the Sturgeon Moon reaches fullness on Friday 28 August 2026, 2:19 pm AEST, in the sign of Pisces. A full moon is the moment the moon is fully lit and directly opposite the sun, the brightest night of her cycle and, in tradition, a time of culmination and release. Watch her grow round night by night with our moon phase tool.
For everything else happening in the sky this month, see our August cosmic calendar.
Why is it called the Sturgeon Moon?
August's full moon is named for the sturgeon, a large fish once caught most easily in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain at this time of year. For the peoples who fished those waters, the Sturgeon Moon marked a season of plenty.
You may also see it called the Grain Moon, Green Corn Moon. Different cultures kept different names for the same moon, each tied to what the land was doing that month.
The spiritual meaning of the Sturgeon Moon
Rising in dreamy, compassionate Pisces, the Sturgeon Moon softens everything. It is a moon for intuition, rest and forgiveness, for letting your feelings move through you like water rather than damming them up. For more on working with any full moon, see our guide to what to do on a full moon and our full moon affirmations.
A Sturgeon Moon ritual
Take a warm bath or sit with a cup of tea, and let yourself feel whatever surfaces. Forgive one thing, in others or in yourself. Match the practice to the exact phase, or find a ritual for any night, with our moon phase ritual tool.
The Sturgeon Moon in the southern hemisphere
In the northern hemisphere this is late summer; in Australia the Sturgeon Moon rises over the last of winter, with spring just beginning to stir.
A gentle note
The names and meanings we give the full moons are old, human traditions, ways of marking time and mood, not forecasts of fixed events. The one thing the moon reliably moves is the ocean tides. Take what feels true from the Sturgeon Moon, and gently leave the rest. See every full moon of the year in our full moon calendar for 2026.
Frequently asked questions
The Sturgeon Moon, August's full moon, is on Friday 28 August 2026, 2:19 pm AEST, in the sign of Pisces.
August's full moon is named for the sturgeon, a large fish once caught most easily in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain at this time of year. For the peoples who fished those waters, the Sturgeon Moon marked a season of plenty.
Rising in dreamy, compassionate Pisces, the Sturgeon Moon softens everything. It is a moon for intuition, rest and forgiveness, for letting your feelings move through you like water rather than damming them up.
