Blue Moon Ends the Month

About every 2.5 years, there are two full moons within one month, and August 2012 is one of those rare months.

August's second full moon is a Blue Moon, the name that has come to mean the second full moon in a month. The first full moon of the month shone on Aug. 1. On Friday, Aug. 31, another full moon will rise over the area at 7:09 p.m., according to timeanddate.com.

Many Native American tribes tracked the seasons by naming each of the recurring full moons. August's annual moon is traditionally called the Full Sturgeon Moon. "Some Native American tribes knew that the sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught during this full Moon," reports The Old Farmers' Almanac. Other tribes called it the Green Corn Moon or the Grain Moon.

The second full moon, on Aug. 31 this year, is called the Full Red Moon.