February full moon – Snow Moon – near Regulus February 16

The February full moon – the Snow Moon – rises in the east around sunset on February 16, 2022. The full moon will be in the constellation Leo near the bright star Regulus. Chart by John Jardine Goss.

February full moon, or Snow Moon

The moon reaches the crest of its full phase every 29.5 days. So nearly every month has a full moon (although sometimes February lacks one, as it did in 2018). The moon is full on February 16, 2022, at 16:56 UTC (11:56 a.m. EST). Full moon is a whole-Earth event. So that clock time is when the moon will be 100% lit, not when you can expect to see the full moon.

For all of us, the full moon – opposite the sun – will rise in the east around sunset and blaze in the sky all night long.

Every full moon has names in western skylore. The bright, full moon of February goes by the names Snow Moon or Hunger Moon. February is typically the snowiest month in northern North America. And so some Native Americans found it to be the most difficult month in which to hunt, prompting the name Hunger Moon.

Read: Full moon names by month and by season

Love the moon? See its phase for every day of the year on an EarthSky 2022 lunar calendar! Order now. Going fast!

Bright star near February full moon

Tonight’s full moon shines in front of the constellation Leo the Lion. The brightest star in Leo – Regulus – is the bright star near tonight’s moon. Regulus represents the Lion’s Heart.

In fact, the February full moon is always somewhere in the vicinity of this star. On this February 2022 night (or the night or two around now), depending on where you are on Earth, you might see the moon to the north, west, south or east of Regulus. This year, Western Hemisphere observers see Regulus shining immediately to the right of the moon as it rises in the darkening eastern sky at sunset. As midnight approaches, the moon and Regulus will have risen very high in the south. By then, they will have rotated their positions so that the star lies just to the lower right of the silvery orb. As the moon drops to the western horizon one hour before sunrise, Regulus will be below the moon. The star sets 30 minutes before the moon for us in North America.

Because of the substantial amount of glare created by the brightly lit moon, it might be hard to spot Regulus. For an easier view, block the moon with your hand or place yourself so that a distant foreground object such as a thick tree branch blocks the moon. The star pops into view!

Want a specific view from your location? Try Stellarium

You’ll see Leo the Lion in the sky in 2 parts. The backwards question mark pattern represents Leo’s head, and the triangle at the back represents the Lion’s hindquarters. The bright star Regulus is part of the backwards question mark pattern, which is known as The Sickle. Image via Derekscope.

What is syzygy?

By the way, in order to appear full to us, the moon has to lie opposite the sun in the sky. So, as the sun sets in the west, the full moon rises in the east. Every full moon rises around sunset, climbs highest in the sky around midnight and sets around sunrise. This direct sun–Earth–moon alignment has a special name used by astronomers. The alignment is called syzygy. Because the full moon is opposite the sun, the February full moon lies about where the sun sits six months from now. In fact, the blindingly bright sun moves immediately below Regulus in the sky every August 23.

Bottom line: February’s full moon – the Snow Moon or Hunger Moon – rises in the east on February 16 in the constellation Leo, not far from the bright star Regulus.

Read more about the visible planets in February 2022

Also see the indispensable Observer’s Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

The post February full moon – Snow Moon – near Regulus February 16 first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/SVuE5Rd

The February full moon – the Snow Moon – rises in the east around sunset on February 16, 2022. The full moon will be in the constellation Leo near the bright star Regulus. Chart by John Jardine Goss.

February full moon, or Snow Moon

The moon reaches the crest of its full phase every 29.5 days. So nearly every month has a full moon (although sometimes February lacks one, as it did in 2018). The moon is full on February 16, 2022, at 16:56 UTC (11:56 a.m. EST). Full moon is a whole-Earth event. So that clock time is when the moon will be 100% lit, not when you can expect to see the full moon.

For all of us, the full moon – opposite the sun – will rise in the east around sunset and blaze in the sky all night long.

Every full moon has names in western skylore. The bright, full moon of February goes by the names Snow Moon or Hunger Moon. February is typically the snowiest month in northern North America. And so some Native Americans found it to be the most difficult month in which to hunt, prompting the name Hunger Moon.

Read: Full moon names by month and by season

Love the moon? See its phase for every day of the year on an EarthSky 2022 lunar calendar! Order now. Going fast!

Bright star near February full moon

Tonight’s full moon shines in front of the constellation Leo the Lion. The brightest star in Leo – Regulus – is the bright star near tonight’s moon. Regulus represents the Lion’s Heart.

In fact, the February full moon is always somewhere in the vicinity of this star. On this February 2022 night (or the night or two around now), depending on where you are on Earth, you might see the moon to the north, west, south or east of Regulus. This year, Western Hemisphere observers see Regulus shining immediately to the right of the moon as it rises in the darkening eastern sky at sunset. As midnight approaches, the moon and Regulus will have risen very high in the south. By then, they will have rotated their positions so that the star lies just to the lower right of the silvery orb. As the moon drops to the western horizon one hour before sunrise, Regulus will be below the moon. The star sets 30 minutes before the moon for us in North America.

Because of the substantial amount of glare created by the brightly lit moon, it might be hard to spot Regulus. For an easier view, block the moon with your hand or place yourself so that a distant foreground object such as a thick tree branch blocks the moon. The star pops into view!

Want a specific view from your location? Try Stellarium

You’ll see Leo the Lion in the sky in 2 parts. The backwards question mark pattern represents Leo’s head, and the triangle at the back represents the Lion’s hindquarters. The bright star Regulus is part of the backwards question mark pattern, which is known as The Sickle. Image via Derekscope.

What is syzygy?

By the way, in order to appear full to us, the moon has to lie opposite the sun in the sky. So, as the sun sets in the west, the full moon rises in the east. Every full moon rises around sunset, climbs highest in the sky around midnight and sets around sunrise. This direct sun–Earth–moon alignment has a special name used by astronomers. The alignment is called syzygy. Because the full moon is opposite the sun, the February full moon lies about where the sun sits six months from now. In fact, the blindingly bright sun moves immediately below Regulus in the sky every August 23.

Bottom line: February’s full moon – the Snow Moon or Hunger Moon – rises in the east on February 16 in the constellation Leo, not far from the bright star Regulus.

Read more about the visible planets in February 2022

Also see the indispensable Observer’s Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

The post February full moon – Snow Moon – near Regulus February 16 first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/SVuE5Rd