By KEIRA SANDERS
Staff Writer
The snow moon rises over the One Tower Building in Lower Manhattan of New York City, seen from Newark, New Jersey, on February 27, 2021.
The full moon for this month is also known as the snow moon. According to NASA, the moon will show its appearance from Tuesday midnight to midnight Thursday. It’ll be its brightest on February 16 at 11:57 pm, though the best time to view it would be right after sunset. The snow moon will be right above the east-northeastern horizon on Wednesday evening. This places it near Regulus which is a bright star. Though there is a large storm forecasted for the central and eastern US, making it harder to moon gaze, we’ll be lucky enough to see it clearly due to the fact that we’re in California.
Native American tribes in the northeastern US first used the name “snow moon” as a nod to the heavy amounts of snowfall that occurred in February, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The snowy conditions would also cause a scarcity in hunting resources, which is why other tribes referred to the moon as the “bony moon,” “hunger moon” and “little famine moon.”
February’s full moon also coincides with the important Buddhist festival Māgha Pūjā, which celebrates a historical gathering between Buddha and his first 1,250 disciples, according to NASA.