Snow Moon set to illuminate the sky but will cloudy weather spoil the view?
ByShireen Jordan
BBC Weather
Stargazers may be able to catch the last full Moon of meteorological winter on Sunday night and Monday morning.
The moon rose on Sunday afternoon at 16:03 GMT in Edinburgh and 16:13 GMT in London – and sets at around 08:00 GMT on Monday, depending on where in the UK you are.
Cloudy skies may obscure the view for some, with rain lingering in parts of central and eastern England and Scotland.
However if you are in western England, Wales, Northern Ireland or the west of Scotland you may be able to catch a glimpse with clear spells at times.
Last year the Snow Moon was visible in the night sky on Valentine’s Day
Why is it called a Snow Moon?
A full Moon happens when the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides, relative to the Earth – in alignment, known as ‘syzygy’.
It means the whole side of the moon that is facing us is illuminated by the sun’s light.
Full Moons were historically named as a way of keeping track of the change of seasons and often influenced the timing of activities like hunting, harvesting and planting, where the bright moonlight could come in handy.
Each full Moon in a year has a name – a practice that dates back to ancient traditions centuries before the Gregorian calendar existed.
February’s full Moon is known as the Snow Moon, after the heavy snowfall often associated with this time of year in the northern hemisphere, but is also sometimes called the Storm Moon or Hungry Moon.
January’s Wolf Moon captured by BBC Weather Watcher ‘AstroMal’ over Crystal Palace, London
Will I be able to see the full Moon?
A bright orange supermoon shines over Yorkshire
Weather fronts moving north-eastwards across the UK have provided rain for many places on Sunday.
Some of this will linger on Sunday night – crucially with a lot of cloud, which could spoil the plans of some moongazers.
The cloudiest conditions are likely to be in east Wales, central, eastern and northern parts of England, and eastern and northern Scotland.
Western Scotland, Northern Ireland, west Wales and the south-west of England have the best chance of seeing some clear spells at times.
Don’t forget you can check the latest hour-by-hour forecast for your area on the BBC Weather website and app.
If you manage to spot the Moon and want to take a picture make sure you turn off the flash on your phone, activate night mode and use ambient light.
If you miss the full moon overnight it will continue to appear nearly full in the few days after the peak.
The lunar month
The Snow Moon in February 2023 was the smallest one of the year making it a Micromoon – the opposite of a supermoon
This year there will be an extra full Moon on 31 May, known as a Blue Moon. This is the name given to the second full Moon in a calendar month.
May’s Blue Moon will also be one of three Micromoons this year. Micromoons appear to look smaller in the sky and are the opposite of a supermoon.
We usually get 12 full Moons a year, but as this doesn’t quite match up with the lunar cycle we get an additional one roughly every two and half years.
As it only happens every few years it is where the expression ‘once in a blue moon’ comes from.
