If you missed the Super Blood Moon lunar eclipse last month, you’ve got another chance at spectacular lunar show. Direct your young stargazers to look up at the skies for the biggest supermoon of the year.
On Tues. Feb 19, the moon will be closer to the earth than at any other day of the year, which means it’ll appear as if someone has lassoed the moon and pulled it in close just for you. If you’re lucky enough to have a cloudless sky on Tuesday night, the supermoon—dubbed the Super Snow Moon—will be full and massive as it will be just a mere 221,681 miles from Earth.
photo: Alexander Andrews via Unsplash
Although the exact full moon will occur during the morning of Feb. 19 at 10:53 a.m. Eastern (7:53 a.m. Pacific), the odd timing actually gives viewers a few opportunities to spot the supermoon in the sky. The first opportunity to see the Super Snow Moon will be near sunset on Monday, Feb. 18 when the moon to rises in the east at 4:30 p.m. Eastern (4:49 p.m. Pacific).
If you miss that sight you’ll have two more chances to see the supermoon. First at sunrise on the morning of Feb. 19 when the moon sets in the west at 6:55 a.m. Eastern (06:46 a.m. Pacific) and finally at sunset again when it rises in the east at 5:46 p.m. Eastern 6:02 p.m. Pacific).
Happy moongazing!
—Shahrzad Warkentin
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