Today's moon will appear slightly bigger as it is February’s full moon, known as a Super Snow Moon and will be the brightest of 2019. The moon will be at its peak on Tuesday morning at 10:54 am but as it will not clearly visible during the daytime, it can be seen tonight.
A “supermoon” is when a moon is simultaneously full and at its perigee, the point in its orbit when it is closest to Earth. When this happens the moon appears larger and brighter in the sky. The point in its orbit when the moon is farthest from Earth is known as the apogee and appears to be smaller in the sky.
It is rather a difficult task to differentiate between a supermoon and full moon but according to old farmer's almanac, the word “super” is used to designate when the full or new moon is closest to Earth in its orbit, making it appear larger and brighter than usual. The Super moon that appears in February has also been called the bone or hunger moon due to the lack of food available in the winter.
The supermoon occurs during this full moon because it will be closest in its orbit to Earth. Moonrise will be the best time for those interested in capturing dramatic supermoon photos because the moon will be closest to the horizon. Check your local time for moonrise .
February's full moon is also known as the snow moon. Each month, the full moon carries a different name signifying what is most associated with that time. This is because centuries ago, lunar months were associated with the changing seasons rather than the solar year. February moon is special and called a snow moon as it’s the month associated with snowfall. A super blood wolf moon and five eclipses are among 2019's major astronomy events. It is also called as bone or hunger moon due to the lack of food available in the winter.
This time it is different as in 2018 there was no supermoon and the event was called as Black Moon. This event appears every 19 years and it’s because January and March each have two full moons. In January, we were treated to the super blood wolf moon and while this isn't quite as exciting, the supermoon should be a beautiful scene. And if you miss this one, there will be another supermoon in March.
