The full moon of February shone in beautiful photographs the world over.
From celebrants of China’s Lantern Competition that honored the primary full moon of the Chinese language new yr, to astronauts on the International Space Station , the total Snow Moon turned heads and shone in photographs regardless of being the smallest “micromoon” of 2023.
The full moon of February, known as the Snow Moon in some Native American cultures, occurred within the jap U.S. at 1:28 p.m. (1828 GMT) on Sunday (Feb. 5), per the U.S. Naval Observatory (opens in new tab) . In New York Metropolis, the was seen at 5:10 p.m. — about eight minutes earlier than sundown, that means it was seen on the similar time within the sky as the sun .
Associated: February full moon 2023: The Snow Moon rises with Jupiter, Mars and Orion
In the event you’re on the lookout for a telescope or binoculars to watch the subsequent full moon, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now may help. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can even aid you put together to seize the subsequent skywatching sight by yourself.
Fancy taking a extra in-depth moonlit tour of our rocky companion? Our ultimate guide to observing the moon will aid you plan your subsequent skywatching enterprise whether or not it’s exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the numerous craters that blanket the panorama. You may as well see the place astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide .
The Full Snow Moon rises over the edgeNYC outdoor observation deck on the top of 50 Hudson Yards in New York City. (Image credit: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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The Full Snow Moon rises above buildings during the Lantern Festival on Feb. 5, 2023 in Taian, Shandong Province of China. (Image credit: VCG via Getty Images)
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A private plane flies in front of the Full Snow Moon in San Francisco on Feb. 5, 2023. (Image credit: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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The Full Snow Moon rises over the skyline of Madrid on Feb. 5, 2023. (Image credit: Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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The Full Snow Moon rises behind Corno Grande peaks in Gran Sasso dItalia National Park in L’Aquila, Italy on Feb. 5, 2023. (Image credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The Full Snow Moon was the smallest full moon of the yr as a result of distance from Earth the moon was at in its orbit round our planet. Referred to as a “micromoon ,” the Full Snow Moon of February was the other of a supermoon and was as much as 14% smaller than the moon at its largest extent. Most observers, nonetheless, have been unable to see the distinction.
The annual Lantern Competition in China, in different Asian nations, and in communities world wide celebrated the arrival of the moon, the primary of the Chinese language Yr of the Rabbit. The pageant honors deceased ancestors throughout Yuan, the primary month of the lunar calendar, in accordance with Encyclopedia Britannica (opens in new tab) .
Astronauts on the ISS noticed the moon fairly simply. “The sight of the full moon rising from the pale blue environment seen from the ISS is breathtakingly stunning,” wrote Koichi Wakata, an astronaut with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), on Twitter (opens in new tab) . (Translation from Japanese supplied by Google.)
Astrophotographers within the U.S. and different nations noticed the Full Snow Moon and captured footage of our neighbor shining within the sky.
Editor’s Be aware: In the event you snap a photograph of the moon and wish to share it with Area.com’s readers, ship your photograph(s), feedback, and your title and placement to spacephotos@space.com .
Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of “ Why Am I Taller (opens in new tab) ?” (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a guide about space medication. Observe her on Twitter @howellspace (opens in new tab) . Observe us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or Facebook (opens in new tab) .
