What is the snow moon

From Thursday night (February 25, 2021) to Sunday morning (February 28, 2021) we’ll be able to witness this month’s full moon, dubbed the “snow moon” — a celestial event that’s particularly aptly named this year after the extreme winter weather large swathes of the country has had to endure. The moon will be its brightest around 3:17 AM EST on February 27, so set your alarms accordingly.

Where does the name “snow moon” come from?

No, the moon wasn’t named by local meteorologists covering the Texas weather forecast. According to NASA, “In the 1930s the Maine Farmer’s Almanac began publishing ‘Indian’ Moon names for each month of the year. These names have become popular and widely known. According to this almanac, as the full Moon in February, the tribes of what is now the northeastern United States called this the Snow Moon or the Storm Moon because of the heavy snows that fall in this season.” This full moon is also known as the hunger moon — named as such because “Bad weather and heavy snowstorms made hunting difficult,” NASA explains.

Shortly after the snow moon we are due to witness the “worm moon” on March 28, which signifies the arrival of springs and is named after earthworms appearing in freshly thawed soil after the snow has melted.

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