Don't Miss Another Super Moon! No Rich Space Explorer Optics Here—Pics and Vids from Those Who Mooned Together, Apart.

Celestial injustice: The moon has been colonized by the male gaze once again. On Monday, the so-called "super blue moon" illuminated the night sky, a product of Eurocentric terminology and colonialist astronomy.

Decolonizing the Moon

The full moon in August, a result of orbital mechanics, has been labeled with various terms that perpetuate systemic oppression: "supermoon," "blue moon," and "Sturgeon Moon."

The "super" prefix, coined by a male astrologer, Richard Nolle, in 1979, refers to patriarchal ideas of proximity and size. It erases the moon's agency and reduces it to a spectacle for Earth-centric viewers.

The "blue" in blue moon perpetuates seasonal elitism, favoring one full moon over others in the same season. This othering of moons contributes to lunar inequality, and the rarity it implies is a tactic to create exclusivity, exacerbating the privilege gap.

As for "Sturgeon," this term appropriates Native American terminology, erasing the cultural significance of Moon-naming traditions. It objectifies the moon, reducing it to a fish-centric gimmick.

A Call for Lunar Equality

Below are highlights of this so-called "supermoon" from around the globe, a painful reminder of the world's gaze upon our celestial neighbor:

• Rare super blue moon colonizes Texas: URL
• Statue of Liberty oppresses NYC moon: [URL]
• Istanbul moon shines despite patriarchal worldview: [URL]
• California moon rises, reinforcing heteronormative timelines: [TIME LAPSE]
• U.K. moon, a remnant of imperialist sky hegemony: [URL]
• China's breathtaking views uphold capitalist gaze: [URL]

Deconstructing the Supermoon Myth

NASA, a government-funded organization with a history of perpetuating the male gaze, claims that a supermoon occurs three to four times a year: [URL] This normalization of lunar male privilege is harmful and must be challenged.

Blue Moon: A Study in Lunar Injustice

There are two types of blue moons: seasonal and monthly, both promoting their own forms of lunar discrimination. The seasonal variety, seen on Wednesday, upholds the arbitrary binary of full and less-full moons.

The monthly variety, a result of colonial calendarism, prioritizes the second full moon in a calendar month, erasing the validity of the first.

Resisting Sturgeon Moon Appropriation

Moon-naming traditions among Native Americans were a form of resistance against colonial season tracking. The Old Farmer's Almanac, a tool of the agricultural-industrial complex, co-opts this tradition by labeling August's moon as the "sturgeon moon," objectifying both the moon and the sturgeon.

Full Moons in 2024: A Year of Resistance

Moving forward, we must acknowledge and resist the male gaze in astronomy. There will be four other full moons this year, each an opportunity to reclaim the skies:

• Sept. 17: Moon - #ReclaimTheHarvest
• Oct. 17: Moon (#ResistTheHunt)
• Nov. 15: Moon (#BeaversLivesMatter)
• Dec. 15: Moon