Here’s how to catch February’s full Snow Moon

Name: NASA lunar scientists explains Moon's impact on Earth during full Moon
Uploaded: 2023-09-28T10:22:20-04:00
Duration: 53 s
Description: The Harvest Moon on Friday will bring higher tides and increasing the coastal flooding threat. NASA lunar scientist Noah Petro explains why this happens.

Visualization of the Moon's phases in 2025

NASA visualization shows the Moon's phases in 2025 (NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)

The shortest month of the year will also be one of the quietest for stargazers, but that does not mean there won’t be an appearance made by the full Moon.

The second full Moon of the year will peak in brightness on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 8:53 a.m. Eastern Time, meaning skywatchers will need to catch the celestial display either before or after its peak due to the position of the Sun.

Known as the "Snow Moon," February’s full Moon is traditionally associated with chilly weather and snow on the ground in the northern latitudes.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Moon is also referred to by other names, including the Bald Eagle Moon, Bear Moon, Goose Moon, Groundhog Moon and Hungry Moon.

This year, the full Moon will fall just days before Groundhog Day on Feb. 2, a tradition celebrated annually to predict the weather.

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The International Space Station (ISS) is photographed with the full moon in the background from Cihanbeyli district of Konya, Turkiye on January 24, 2024. (Photo by Yunus Turkyilmaz/Anadolu via Getty Images) ( )

2024 Wolf Full Moon (Virtual Telescope Project)

The setting Full Moon on the morning of Saturday, March 31, 2018, the day before Easter At this time, at about 7:20 am MDT, the Moon was a little less than an hour after the moment of exact Full Moon, so the Sun had already risen before the Moon set There was a lot of snow still on the ground and the temperature was an unseasonably cold -20 C, still very much winter This was with the Canon 6D MkII and 200mm lens with 14x convertor, shot from home. (VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

While full moons don’t always coincide with the occasion, they occasionally align.

The last time a full Moon occurred on Groundhog Day was in 2018, and the next one won’t occur until 2032 due to the lunar cycle.

Looking ahead, March will be packed with astronomical events, including a total lunar eclipse, a partial solar eclipse and another full Moon.

On top of that, daylight saving time will begin, and the spring equinox will take place, so it promises to be an exciting month for skywatchers.

A significant disadvantage for stargazers will be the increasing daylight across the Northern Hemisphere.

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As the days grow longer, observers will have less time to view the night sky without the interference of light pollution and the rising sun.

For example, in a city like New York, daylight is increasing by about two to three minutes each day, and sunset times will soon shift past 6 p.m. and the country heads towards the summer solstice.

NASA lunar scientists explains Moon's impact on Earth during full Moon

The Harvest Moon on Friday will bring higher tides and increasing the coastal flooding threat. NASA lunar scientist Noah Petro explains why this happens.