Next week, you will be able to lay your eyes upon the second Full Moon of 2023. On Sunday, February 5, the Snow Moon will rise over the United Kingdom in all its glory, reaching peak illumination at 6.28pm.
It is widely accepted that this Full Moon gets its name due to February often being the coldest month and most countries in the northern hemisphere seeing snowfall.
Some Native American tribes named it the Hunger Moon, while others call it the Storm Moon. According to timeanddate.com, North American tribes named it the Hunger Moon due to the scarce food sources and hard hunting conditions during the mid-winter.
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Full Moon
The Full Moon is the lunar phase when the moon appears fully illuminated from Earth’s perspective. They occur every 29.5 days, the length of time it takes for the Moon to orbit the Earth and complete one lunar phase cycle.
When more than 98 per cent of the Moon’s disc is illuminated, the Moon can appear to be full a day before or after.
There will be 13 Full Moons this year, with two falling in August. This occurs every 2.8 years, and we get a “Blue Moon”—the name was first penned in the March 1946 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.
The Snow Moon will be followed by the Worm Moon on March 7 and the Pink Moon on April 6.
