The “full snow moon” is certainly living up to its name in the D.C. area and east coast as the region is in the middle of a winter storm forecast with plenty of snow coming down.
Each month’s full moon is given a name that corresponds to the characteristics of the month and the full snow moon occurs Wednesday morning, Feb. 12, at 8:53 a.m. Our weather is forecast to be cloudy until Thursday, so hopefully we can see an almost full moon illuminating any snow that remains.
When looking at the moon, be aware that two spacecraft are headed to the moon, which were launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 last month. One will attempt a lunar landing next month, while the other mission is looking toward a May-June landing attempt.
On Valentine’s Day Friday, be on the lookout in the western horizon as it gets dark after sunset for the Zodiacal Light. You will need a dark sky site to see it as it should be visible for weeks.
Oh, and while you are enjoying Valentine’s Day, be sure to say hello to the Goddess of Love, the planet Venus, high and super bright in the southwestern sky.
If you are in a dark sky site while looking, use a white sheet or piece of white cardboard, even a white colored car, to try and see your shadow being cast by the light of Venus! Today she is at greatest brilliancy and can actually cast your shadow as a result.
Put your car or material so it faces Venus. If you can see the light of Venus on your object, turn your back to Venus and move so you are centered. Use your smartphone/camera to take a pic and check the results. If clear, I will be doing the same myself.
You can get more on the month’s sky happenings here.
Follow Greg Redfern on Facebook, Bluesky and his daily blog to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration
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