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- This year’s full Snow Moon reached the peak relief on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 03:17 EST.
- The last full moon of winter is easy to see, with a long, high arc over the night sky.
- The cold name is especially significant this year, following several nationwide snowstorms.
For many parts of the country, winter this year has been one of the snow in recent memory – and this month’s full moon comes just in time to send it off.
According to NASA, the full snow moon reached a peak illumination at 03:17 EST on Saturday 27 February. Although this is the exact moment that it will be the brightest and fullest, it looks like the moon is full until Sunday.
Like last month’s Wolf Moon, the Snow Moon will mimic the path of the summer sun, rising to the east at sunset, peaking at midnight and sinking below the western horizon near dawn, per The old farmer’s almanac. Due to its height, the full moon should be easy to spot for casual observers – depending on the time of night, you should look high in the sky or near the horizon.
Because it is the third and final full moon of winter, the month of February gets its name from the snow that covers the ground during the icy, dazzling last days of the season. February is the snowiest month in much of the country – and after this month’s historic snowstorms in Texas and beyond, ‘Snow Moon’ has never been so fitting.
Other traditional names for the last full moon of winter are the Hunger Moon and the Bony Moon, The old farmer’s almanac explained because hunting was the hardest time this year. (Another nickname, the Groundhog Moon, unfortunately has nothing to do with Punxsutawney Phil, which rings on Groundhog Day in early February.)
Even though there is less than a month of winter left, it is not yet time to break out of the swimming trunks – the latest weather forecasts point to a cold March and a stormy April. But hey, the snow moon serves as a reminder that the first day of spring (and the warmer weather with it) is still on its way, regardless of the temperature.
The next full moon, the Worm Moon, occurs on March 28, just over a week after the first spring day.
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