“Exploring the Night Sky: A Guide to the February Snow Moon and Beyond”

The full moon known as the “Snow Moon” rises over Howth Lighthouse in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

The Snow Moon has risen, just the latest in a series of notable events for the night sky.

February’s full moon will remain bright in the sky until early Tuesday morning.

It’s remarkable in part for what kept us from seeing it. The bright light of the upcoming full moon may have blocked some people’s view of the famous ‘green comet’ – and meant some might be forced to wait until later in the month to see it, when the moonlight has faded a bit and the night sky is more visible.

Aside from being a full moon, the Snow Moon itself is nothing special. It will look just like any other full moon.

Instead, it is so called because it is February’s full moon – and February, traditionally at least, tends to bring snow.

As such, the February Moon was given the name in the Maine Farmers’ Almanac in the 1930s when it was claimed to be based on Native American tradition, and these names were commonly used to designate the moon of each month.

The same moon is also given the name Storm Moon for the same reason. And sometimes it’s called the Hunger Moon, it claimed, because that snow and those storms make it hard to hunt.

And according to Nasa, it is sometimes referred to as the Wolf Moon. In Europe it can sometimes be referred to as the Candle Moon because Candlemas falls in early February.

In the UK, conditions will be mostly clear for the coming days, according to the Met Office to see the night sky. That should allow for a relatively unobstructed view of both the moon and the comet.

Aside from the comet and moon, there’s plenty to see in February’s night sky – including a number of planets that should be visible.

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