Full Snow Moon, the second full moon of the year, is set to light up the skies around the world on Wednesday evening.
February’s full moon – the phase of the moon in which its whole disc is illuminated – will reach 100 per cent illumination at 4:56pm GMT (11:56am EST) this Wednesday, February 16.
However, this is before sunset (5:18pm in the UK), so stargazers will get the best view later in the evening when the sun has gone down.
A full moon occurs once every 29.5 days – the length of time it takes for the Moon to go through a whole lunar cycle.
When the full moon arrives in February, astronomers give it the name ‘Snow Moon’ because it often coincides with with heavy snowfall.
The second Full Moon of the year, the Snow Moon, is seen over Reading, Berkshire, February 2020
The Full Snow Moon, as seen here in February 2021 rising over Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The Full Moon marks the point when our moon is at 100 per cent illumination, providing a breathtaking spectacle for Earthlings. ‘Snow’ and other nicknames simply refer to month in the year that the full moon appears
To see as many of the surface details of the Moon as possible while out stargazing, give your eyes time to adjust to lower lights and turn off artificial lights sources.
Royal Museums Greenwich says: ‘A full Moon occurs when the Moon appears as a complete circle in the sky. We see it as a full orb because the whole of the side of the Moon facing the Earth is lit up by the Sun’s rays.
‘The Moon produces no visible light of its own, so we can only see the parts of the Moon that are lit up by other objects.’
For centuries, full moon names have been used to track the seasons and therefore are closely related to nature.
Snow Moon is the common name for February’s full moon because it often coincides with heavy snowfall.
It was also traditionally known as the Hunger Moon, due to the challenging hunting conditions at this time of year.
According to EarthSky, the Full Snow Moon will be close to the bright star Regulus, which is the brightest star in Leo the Lion constellation.
Although 100 per cent illumination of the moon is at 4:56pm on Wednesday, the moon will also appear just as full on Tuesday and Thursday evenings too.
On Tuesday, the Moon will be at 99.3 per cent illumination, while on Thursday it will be at 99.7 per cent illumination.
However, these differences are fractional enough to be imperceptible to the naked eye. In other words, you’ll effectively have two additional chances to see moon in its full glory.
A seagull flies as a full Snow Moon shines over Istanbul, Turkey, February 10, 2020. The Full Snow Moon appeared slightly bigger than normal in 2020, because it was a ‘supermoon’
Although it will provide a dazzling sight, Wednesday evening’s moon won’t be as bright as 2020’s Full Snow Moon.
This is because the Full Snow Moon of two years ago was what’s known as a ‘supermoon’.
A supermoon occurs when the full moon nearly coincides with perigee – the point in the orbit of the moon at which it is nearest to the Earth.
This means a supermoon can appear as much as 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than normal, when viewed from Earth, depending on the time of year.
Royal Museums Greenwich says: ‘So long as there’s not too much cloud, the full Moon will be an unmistakable white orb in the sky.
‘This is a good opportunity to use a small telescope or a pair of binoculars to see the Moon’s detailed surface, or even try taking a few interesting moon photos.’
According to Royal Observatory Greenwich, the supermoon will arrive twice in 2022 – on June 14 and again on July 13.
Other astronomy websites also include May 16 and August 12 as supermoon dates for 2022 (although on these dates the moon doesn’t come quite as close to Earth, which is why they’ve been excluded by Royal Observatory Greenwich).
Astronomers differ on what they believe constitutes a ‘supermoon’ – however, the original definition as coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 puts it as a full moon or new moon that comes within 90 per cent of its closest approach to Earth.