How to view tonight's supermoon -- the first of two in August
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The first of two supermoons in August will be visible from Central Texas Tuesday night into Wednesday morning under mostly clear skies.
The "Sturgeon Moon" is one of four supermoons in 2023, according to NASA. A supermoon is the term used when a full moon coincides with the moon's closest approach to Earth, making the moon appear 7% larger and up to 30% brighter.
According to NASA, the name "Sturgeon Moon" comes from the large fish in the Great Lakes that were more easily caught this time of year. Other names for the Aug. 1 supermoon include the Red Moon, the Corn or Green Corn Moon, the Barley Moon, the Herb Moon, the Grain Moon and the Dog Moon.
The second supermoon this month will be the Blue Moon, visible on Aug. 30.
How to see it
Tuesday night in Austin, the moon rises at 8:54 p.m. on the eastern horizon. Skies will be mostly clear all night into Wednesday morning, allowing clear viewing of the moon through moonset which occurs in the western horizon at 7:39 a.m.