See February’s full snow moon light up the sky
By Ashley Strickland, CNN
(CNN) — Look to the sky this weekend for a chance to see February’s wintry full moon, which comes as four astronauts prepare to make a historic journey around the silvery orb.
The full moon will peak at 5:09 p.m. ET Sunday, occurring near sunset and appearing fullest while low in the eastern sky, according to EarthSky.
However, the moon will still appear full Saturday and Monday, said Noah Petro, chief of NASA’s Planetary, Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
February’s full moon is known as the snow moon, after the heavy snowfalls often experienced across parts of North America this time of year, according to the Farmers’ Almanac.
Other monikers from indigenous tribes for this month’s full moon include the sleet moon from the Comanche people, the Creek tribe’s wind moon and the crow moon as named by the Shawnee.
With the anticipated launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission, which could lift off in February, it’s a great time for sky-gazers to familiarize themselves with the moon, Petro said.
“Go out and look at it when it’s full, when it’s partially full, and learn its geography,” said Petro, who leads the science team for the Artemis III mission, which aims to land humans near the lunar south pole. “Start learning what features are where and what it looks like as the moon goes through its phases to celebrate the fact that we are in this Artemis era and going back to the moon.”
It’s possible to see light and dark areas on the lunar surface with the naked eye, but Petro recommends using a telescope, which is helpful for spotting craters and other features.
It’s a great way to “absorb the full breadth of what the moon has to offer to the casual observer,” Petro added.
Supermoons and full moons
Sky-gazers can anticipate seeing supermoons in the night sky in November and December. Supermoons occur when the moon is closest to Earth during its orbit, making it appear brighter and fuller than a regular full moon.
On average, the moon is about 238,900 miles (384,472 kilometers) from Earth. But December’s supermoon will be the closest of the year at 221,667 miles (356,740 kilometers) away, according to EarthSky.
Here are the rest of the full moons in 2026, according to the Farmers’ Almanac:
- March 3: Worm moon
- April 1: Pink moon
- May 1: Flower moon
- May 31: Blue moon
- June 29: Strawberry moon
- July 29: Buck moon
- August 28: Sturgeon moon
- September 26: Harvest moon
- October 26: Hunter’s moon
- November 24: Beaver moon
- December 23: Cold moon
Lunar eclipses
For those interested in seeing a different perspective of the moon, a total lunar eclipse will appear in the night sky above Asia, Australia, the Pacific Islands and the Americas on March 3.
A lunar eclipse can occur only during a full moon when the sun, Earth and moon align and the moon passes into Earth’s shadow. When this phenomenon happens, Earth casts two shadows on the moon. The partial outer shadow is called the penumbra; the full, dark shadow is the umbra.
When the full moon moves into Earth’s shadow, it darkens, but it doesn’t disappear. Instead, sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere lights the moon in a dramatic fashion, turning it red — which is why the event is often referred to as a “blood moon.”
This phenomenon happens because blue light undergoes stronger atmospheric scattering than red light, and as a result, red is the most dominant color as sunlight passes through our atmosphere and reaches the moon. Depending on the weather conditions in your area, the moon may appear rusty or brick-colored red.
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible for those in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Western Asia from August 27 to 28. Partial eclipses occur when the sun, Earth and moon don’t completely align, so only part of the moon passes into shadow.
Check Time and Date’s website for details on when and where to see these eclipses.
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