The smallest full moon of 2024 rises this weekend. Here's how to see the 'Snow Moon' at its best.

February's full moon, the second of 2024, will rise in a blaze of color and light this weekend — but don't expect a giant orb in the twilight sky. Thanks to orbital mechanics, the "Snow Moon" will be the smallest of the year as it rises during dusk on Saturday (Feb. 24).

The exact opposite of a supermoon, this Snow Moon will turn full when our natural satellite's orbit is close to its farthest point from Earth in its slightly elliptical monthly orbit.

Despite its smaller size, the Snow Moon, also known as the Hungry Moon, Storm Moon, Wolf Moon and Candles Moon, according to NASA, promises a breathtaking display. Its appearance will signal the start of the Lantern Festival, also called Shang Yuan or the Yuan Xiao Jie, which is part of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Although it will technically turn full during the day in North America — at 7:30 a.m. EST — the best time to see it will be at moonrise later that day. You can find the exact time for your location using a moonrise and moonset calculator.

Related: Undiscovered 'minimoons' may orbit Earth. Could they help us become an interplanetary species?

Look for the Snow Moon rising in the east just after sunset on Saturday, when it will glow a deep orange color due to Earth's atmosphere. For the best view, find a high spot facing east with a clear horizon. Unaided eyes are ideal for watching a full moonrise, but binoculars will enable you to see craters and other features on the lunar surface. The moon will also appear bright and full on Friday and Sunday, as well.

RELATED STORIES

—April 8 total solar eclipse: The best places to stargaze near the path of totality

—Intuitive Machines moon lander beams home stunning photos of Earth from space

—China eyes May 2024 launch for 1st-ever lunar sample-return mission to far side of the moon

After the "Snow Moon," the following full moon will be the "Worm Moon" on March 25, which will drift into Earth's shadow and cause a slight penumbral lunar eclipse. That will put the moon in position to cause a total solar eclipse two weeks later on April 8, which will be best seen within a narrow 115-mile-wide (185 kilometers) path of totality stretching across northwest Mexico, 15 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Watchdog: Nuclear states modernize their weapons, Chinese arsenal is growing

A report on the world's nuclear weapons says the nine nuclear-armed states continue to modernize their arsenals and several of them deployed new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapons systems in 2022 STOCKHOLM -- The nine nuclear-armed states continue to modernize their arsenal s and several deployed new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2022, a Swedish think tank said Monday. “We are drifting into one of the most dangerous periods in human History ,” said Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI. “It is imperative that the world’s governments find ways to cooperate in order to calm geopolitical tensions, slow arms races and deal with the worsening consequences of environmental breakdown and rising world hunger,” he said in a statement. SIPRI estimated that of the total global inventory of 12,512 warheads in January 2023, some 9,576 were in Military stockpiles for potential use which was 86 more than in January 202
Read more

Discover the Valley of the Goldeп Mυmmies: The largest cemetery iп Egypt datiпg back to Greco-Romaп times

Image
The Valley of the Goldeп Mυmmies is the largest cemetery iп Egypt datiпg back to Greco-Romaп times . It revealed aroυпd 250 mυmmies aпd most of them are aristocracies who lived iп the Bahariya Oasis ( iп the Westerп Desert of Egypt), dυriпg Greco-Romaп times . Egyptologist Zahi Hawass observed amaziпg flashes iп 1996 comiпg from the bottom of a hole iп a desert oasis iп Egypt. This resυlted iп the discovery of maпy graves coпtaiпiпg Greco-Romaп corpses, all of which had iпcredible goldeп decoratioпs.   Greco-Romaп mυmmies The Valley of the Goldeп Mυmmies is located 15 miпυtes from El Bawiti, iп the Bahariya Oasis, aboυt 400 kilometers from Cairo. The Middle Kiпgdom is wheп the aпcieпt Egyptiaп kiпgs first became iпterested iп this greeп dot iп the middle of the desert, eveп thoυgh there are iпdicatioпs that a Paleolithic popυlatioп formerly lived there. There, пomads aпd trade roυtes met, becomiпg a defeпsive eпclave of the westerп borders.   Bahariya floυrished mos
Read more

IRS reduces tax return backlog by 80% and is doing better job answering the phone

The IRS has processed tens of millions of tax returns faster this year compared with years past, and getting through to customer service on the phone is slowly improving WASHINGTON -- The IRS has processed tens of millions of tax returns faster this year compared with past years while getting through to customer service on the phone is slowly improving, according to a report to Congress released Wednesday. But there is a huge need to update the agency's information technology services and have more workers answering calls. Still, it’s a vast improvement after years of backlogs and decades of underfunding. The latest update on the IRS from National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins said the agency cut its backlog of unprocessed paper tax return s by 80%, from 13.3 million return s at the end of the 2022 filing season to 2.6 million at the end of the 2023 filing season. And now 35% of calls are answer ed, compared with 11% before. “Overall, the difference between the 2022 filing sea
Read more