The second full Moon of 2024 will light up the night sky on Saturday – if the weather in your area cooperates.
The Snow Moon, which rises in the east, will reach its peak around 7:30 a.m. EST on Saturday, so it will be better to try and catch a glimpse of the Snow Moon before sunrise on Saturday or after sunset Saturday night.
You’ll want to be farther west in the U.S. if you’re hoping to see the exact moment the Moon is full. For example, the U.S. Naval Observatory shows that in New York City, the Moon sets, or drops below the horizon, at 6:58 a.m. EST Saturday morning.
In Chicago, the full Moon is at 6:30 a.m. CST, and the Moon sets at 6:55 a.m. CST. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the full Moon is at 4:30 a.m. PST, giving people there plenty of time as the Moon doesn’t set until 6:49 a.m. PST.
WATCH OUT FOR THESE ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS IN 2024
The nickname of February’s full Moon, the Snow Moon, is due to the typically heavy snow on the ground and because of cold temperatures in the northern latitudes.
And this full Moon won’t be as large as it usually is in the night sky.
7 TIPS ON HOW TO SHOOT THE MOON WITH A CAMERA
The Moon will be at one of its farthest points from Earth and is known as a micromoon.
On an average day, the Moon is about 238,000 miles away from Earth, but during a micromoon phase, the distance increases to about 252,000 miles.
STUNNING VIDEO SHOWS MERCURY PASSING BY THE SUN
Since the lunar body’s full cycle lasts 29.5 days, this full Moon is occurring before meteorological winter ends.
Meteorological winter runs from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28 (or Feb. 29), and March 1 is considered to be the start of meteorological spring by meteorologists and climatologists.