Sunday, February 09, 2020

Snow Moon stuns as one of the largest full moons of 2020 lights up the sky

Skygazers are enjoying the spectacular February full moon, or snow moon, this weekend.
© FoxNews.com Everything you need to know about the celestial event.

The Snow Moon is one of the largest full moons of 2020 and will light up the sky on Saturday and Sunday.

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In New York City, photographers brazed the cold on the waterfront at Red Hook, Brooklyn, early Saturday morning to capture images of the almost-full moon behind the Statue of Liberty.

The February full moon will reach its peak at 2:33 a.m. ET on Sunday, according to NASA.

“For the best view of this Moon, look for it on the night of Saturday, February 8; it will rise in the east and reach its highest point in the sky around midnight,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

'SUPER SNOW MOON' STUNS AS THE BIGGEST SUPERMOON OF 2019 LIGHTS UP THE SKY

The full moon is the fourth-largest of 2020, according to EarthSky.

Some experts also describe the full moon as a supermoon, although others feel that it does not qualify as that category of celestial event. Supermoons happen when the moon’s elliptical orbit brings it to the closest point to Earth while the moon is full. The phrase was coined in 1979, NASA said.

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The February full moon played an important role in Native American culture.

“As the midwinter moon or the second full moon of winter, the Native American tribes of what is now the northern and eastern United States called this the Snow Moon or the Hunger Moon,” NASA said. “It was known as the Snow Moon because of the heavy snows that fall in this season.”

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