February 2023: The Next Full Moon is the Snow, Storm, or Hunger Moon

The next full Moon will be on Sunday afternoon, February 5, 2023, appearing opposite the Sun in Earth-based longitude at 1:29 PM EST. This will be on Monday morning in the time zones from Nepal Standard Time eastward to the International Date Line. The Moon will appear full for about 3 days around this time, from early Saturday morning through early Tuesday morning.

The Maine Farmers' Almanac began publishing "Indian" names for full Moons in the 1930s and these names are now widely known and used. According to this almanac, as the full Moon in February the tribes of the northeastern United States called this the Snow Moon or the Storm Moon because of the heavy snows in this season. Bad weather and heavy snowstorms made hunting difficult, so this Moon was also called the Hunger Moon. NOAA monthly averages for the Washington, DC area airports (DCA and IAD) from 1991 to 2020 show January and February nearly tied as the snowiest months of the year (with February one tenth of an inch ahead).

Some sources list the Wolf Moon as an old European name for this full Moon. Another European name is the Candles Moon, tied to Candlemas on February 2.

Many lunar and lunisolar calendars start the months on the new Moon, and the full Moon is the middle of the month. In the Islamic calendar this full Moon is near the middle of Rajab, one of the four sacred months in which warfare and fighting are forbidden.

This full Moon corresponds with the Chinese Lantern Festival, the traditional end of the Chinese New Year celebrations held on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese Calendar.

In the Hebrew calendar this full Moon is in the middle of the month Shevat. The 15th day of Shevat is the holiday Tu BiShvat, which will be observed from sunset on Sunday, February 5, to nightfall on Monday, February 6, 2023. Tu BiShvat is also called "Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot" (literally "New Year of the Trees"). In contemporary Israel this is celebrated as an ecological awareness day and trees are planted in celebration.

The Tamil Hindu community celebrates the Thaipusam Festival on this full Moon.

In the Purnimanta tradition that ends the months on the full Moon day, this full Moon (purnima) is Magha Purnima or Māgha Pūjā, the last day of the month of Magha. In the Hindu and Buddhist calendars, Magha is the month when the full Moon is in the lunar mansion that contains the star we call Regulus. For Hindus, Magha is a month for austerity, performing acts of charity, and ritual bathing in a sacred river. In Sri Lanka, this full Moon is called Navam Poya and celebrations include Gangarama Navam, a procession of approximately 5,000 people and many elephants.

As for other celestial events between now and the full Moon after next (with specific times and angles based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC):

As winter continues the daily periods of sunlight continue to lengthen. On Sunday, February 5 (the day of the full Moon), morning twilight will begin at 6:11 AM, sunrise will be at 7:11 AM, solar noon will be at 12:22:02 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 35.29 degrees, sunset will be at 5:34 PM, and evening twilight will end at 6:34 PM. By Tuesday, March 7 (the day of the full Moon after next), morning twilight will begin at 5:35 AM, sunrise will be at 6:32 AM, solar noon will be at 12:19:12 PM when the Sun will reach its maximum altitude of 45.95 degrees, sunset will be at 6:07 PM, and evening twilight will end at 7:04 PM. No major meteor showers are expected to peak between this full Moon and the next.

In late January and early February 2023, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) should be visible with binoculars and bright enough to see with the naked eye from dark areas with clear skies after moonset. Recent press reports are calling this the green comet because of its coloring. This comet is reported as already visible from very dark areas (although you need binoculars or a telescope to see its green coloring). See https://science.nasa.gov/naked-eye-comet-ztf for an image from January 19. How bright a comet appears depends both on what we can predict, how close it is to the Earth and how close it is to the Sun, and on what we cannot predict, how much gas and dust it is giving off. A January 20 post on https://cometaryscience.blogspot.com/ indicates recent brightening, increasing the likelihood of future visibility. As Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) races away from the Sun, it will reach its closest to the Earth on February 1 at 12:55 PM EST, passing 0.28 AU (42,500,000 km or 26,400,000 miles) from us.

If your skies are clear and if the gas and dust from the comet are not rapidly changing, the time to see this comet at its brightest will likely be just before or just after closest approach, either the early morning of Wednesday, February 1, during the less than 2 hours between moonset (at 4:35 AM) and when morning twilight begins (at 6:14 AM), or the early morning of Thursday, February 2, during the 45 minutes between moonset (at 5:29 AM) and when morning twilight begins (at 6:14 AM). From northern latitudes the comet will be high in the sky and will shift noticeably each night. Keep an eye out for finder charts and updates on the comet's brightness in the press, or you can look for an app or website to get predictions and guidance on when and where to look from your area. This comet was discovered using the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) located on Mt. Palomar in Southern California.

On the evening of Sunday, February 5, 2023 (the day of the full Moon), as evening twilight ends (at 6:33 PM), the rising full Moon will be 11 degrees above the east-northeastern horizon. Three of the five visible planets will be in the sky. Going from east to west, Mars (third brightest) will appear 70 degrees above the southeastern horizon, Jupiter (second brightest) will be 34 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon, and Venus (the brightest) will be 12 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon. The bright object appearing closest to overhead will be Mars, with the bright star Capella a close second.

As this lunar cycle progresses, Jupiter, Mars, and the background of stars will appear to shift westward each evening (as the Earth moves around the Sun), while bright Venus will move slowly the other direction, shifting towards Jupiter until they pass each other just half a degree apart on March 1. On February 6, the bright star Regulus will be 5 degrees to the right of the still full Moon near the east-northeastern horizon. The waxing Moon will appear near Venus on February 21, Jupiter on February 22, the Pleiades star cluster on February 26, Mars on February 27, Pollux on March 2, and Regulus on March 5.

By the evening of Tuesday, March 7, 2023 (the day of the full Moon after next), as evening twilight ends (at 7:04 PM), the rising full Moon will be 7 degrees above the eastern horizon. Three of the five visible planets will be in the sky, with the brightest being Venus (as the evening star) at 19 degrees above the western horizon, Jupiter (second brightest) 6 degrees below Venus, and Mars (third brightest) close to overhead at 75 degrees above the south-southwestern horizon. The bright star appearing closest to overhead will be Capella at 80 degrees above the northwestern horizon. Although we see Capella as a single star (the 6th brightest in our night sky), it is actually four stars (two pairs of stars orbiting each other). Capella is 43 lightyears from us. Also high in the sky will be the constellation Orion and the band of bright stars from the local arm of our home galaxy, including the brightest star in our night sky, Sirius, at 33 degrees above the south-southeastern horizon.

On the morning of Sunday, February 5, 2023 (the day of the full Moon), as morning twilight begins (at 6:11 AM EST), the setting full Moon will appear 13 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon. The planet Mercury will be 3 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. The bright star closest to overhead will be Arcturus at 68 degrees above the south-southwestern horizon. Arcturus is the 4th brightest star in our night sky and is 36.7 light years from us. While it has about the same mass as our Sun, it is 2.6 billion years older and has used up its core hydrogen, becoming a red giant 25 times the size and 170 times the brightness of our Sun.

As this lunar cycle progresses the background of stars will shift westward each morning. The planet Mercury will gradually shift the other direction, with February 12 the last morning it will be above the east-southeastern horizon as morning twilight begins. The waning Moon will appear near the bright star Regulus on February 6 and 7, Spica on February 11, and Antares on February 14. The waxing full Moon will appear near the bright start Regulus on March 6.

By the morning of Tuesday, March 7, 2023 (the day of the full Moon after next), as morning twilight begins (at 5:35 AM EST), the setting full Moon will be 14 degrees above the western horizon. The bright star closest to overhead will still be Arcturus at 56 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon.

Here for your reference is a day-by-day listing of celestial events between now and the full Moon after next. The times and angles are based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, so some of these details may differ for your location. I use parentheses to indicate specific times that might be different for you.

Monday evening into early Tuesday morning, January 30 to 31, 2023, the bright planet Mars will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon. Mars will be 3 degrees to the lower left of the Moon as evening twilight ends (at 6:27 PM EST), the Moon will reach its highest in the sky 1.5 hours later (at 7:53 PM) with Mars 2 degrees to the upper left. Mars will swing around the Moon, passing quite close to the Moon early Tuesday morning (around 12:50 AM). By the time Mars sets below the west-northwestern horizon (at 3:30 AM) it will be 3 degrees to the lower right of the Moon.

As mentioned above, in late January and early February 2023, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) should be visible with binoculars and be bright enough to see with the naked eye from dark areas with clear skies after moonset. If your skies are clear the time to see this comet at its brightest will likely be either the early morning of Wednesday, February 1, during the less than 2 hours between moonset (at 4:35 AM) and when morning twilight begins (at 6:14 AM) or the early morning of Thursday, February 2, during the 45 minutes between moonset (at 5:29 AM EST) and when morning twilight begins (at 6:14 AM).

Wednesday evening, February 1, 2023, will be the last evening that the planet Saturn will be above the horizon as evening twilight ends (at 6:29 PM EST).

Wednesday, February 1, 2023, will be Imolc, and Thursday, February 2, will be Candlemas and Groundhog's Day. The tradition in some European countries was to leave Christmas decorations up until February 1 (and it was considered bad luck to leave decorations up past Candlemas). For example, Robert Herrick (1591-1674) starts his poem "Ceremonies for Candlemas Eve" with "Down with the rosemary and bays, down with the mistletoe; Instead of holly, now up-raise the greener box (for show)." Here's a link to the full poem: http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/herrick/candlemas1.htm

Our modern calendar divides the year into four seasons based upon the solstices and equinoxes, with spring starting on the vernal equinox in March. This approximates winter as the quarter of the year with the coldest temperatures. Much of pre-Christian northern Europe celebrated "cross-quarter days" halfway between the solstices and equinoxes, dividing the seasons on these days. Using this definition, winter was the quarter of the year with the shortest daily periods of daylight, and spring started on Imbolc, now celebrated on February 1.

We have a tradition in the USA that if the groundhog sees its shadow, winter will end on Groundhog Day. If not, winter will last six weeks more (ending around the time of the spring equinox). Groundhog Day appears to tie back to European lore about whether or not badgers, wolves, or bears (instead of groundhogs) see their shadows. Many believe that our Groundhog Day and Candlemas traditions tie back to earlier celebrations for the start of spring in the old calendar. It seems plausible to me that it was confusing to have two competing dates for winter's end. Perhaps it was best to let a natural event (such as an animal's shadow) decide which end of winter to use, rather than arguing with your neighbors for the next six weeks...

Friday morning, February 3, 2023, the bright star Pollux will appear above the waxing gibbous Moon, shifting closer as morning progresses. The Moon and Pollux will be at their closest in the afternoon when we can't see them.

Friday evening into Saturday morning, February 3 to 4, the bright star Pollux will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon. Pollux will shift clockwise around the Moon and move away to the lower right as the night progresses. As evening twilight ends (at 6:31 PM EST) Pollux will be about 4 degrees above the Moon. The Moon will reach its highest about 5 hours later (at 11:15 PM) with Pollux 5 degrees to the upper right. As morning twilight begins (at 6:12 AM) Pollux will be 9 degrees to the lower right of the Moon.

Early Saturday morning, February 4, 2023, at 3:55 AM EST, the full Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit.

As mentioned above, the next full Moon will be on Sunday afternoon, February 5, 2023, at 1:29 PM EST. The Moon will appear full for about 3 days around this time, from early Saturday morning through early Tuesday morning.

Monday morning, February 6, 2023, the bright star Regulus will appear to the right of the full Moon in the western sky.

Monday evening into Tuesday morning, February 6 to 7, 2023, the bright star Regulus will appear near the waning gibbous Moon. Regulus will be 4 degrees to the right of the Moon low on the east-northeastern horizon as evening twilight ends (at 6:34 PM EST). The Moon will reach its highest in the sky 7 hours later (at 1:32 AM) with Regulus 6 degrees to the lower right of the Moon. Regulus will be 8 degrees to the lower right of the Moon as morning twilight begins (at 6:09 AM).

Friday night into Saturday morning, February 10 to 11, 2023, the bright star Spica will appear near the waning gibbous Moon. As Spica rises above the east-southeastern horizon (at 10:44 PM EST) it will be 4 degrees to the lower right of the Moon. The Moon will reach its highest 5.5 hours later (at 4:18 AM) with Spica 3 degrees to the lower right, and morning twilight will begin about 2 hours after that (at 6:05 AM).

Sunday morning, February 12, 2023, will be the last morning the planet Mercury will be above the east-southeastern horizon as morning twilight begins.

Monday morning, February 13, 2023, the waning Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its last quarter at 11:01 AM EST.

Tuesday morning, February 14, 2023, the bright star Antares will appear near the waning crescent Moon. As Antares rises above the southeastern horizon (at 2:33 AM EST) it will be 7 degrees below the Moon. Antares will be 5 degrees to the lower left by the time morning twilight begins (at 6:02 AM). Antares is part of the constellation Scorpio, and the Moon will appear on the line of this constellation near the head and pincers of the scorpion.

On Thursday, February 16, 2023, the planet Saturn will be passing on the far side of the Sun as seen from the Earth, called conjunction. Because Saturn orbits outside of the orbit of Earth, it will be shifting from the evening sky to the morning sky and will begin emerging from the glow of dawn on the eastern horizon in March (depending upon viewing conditions).

Sunday morning, February 19, 2023, at 4:06 AM EST, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit.

Early Monday morning, February 20, 2023, at 2:06 AM EST, will be the new Moon, when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from the Earth.

The day of or the day after the New Moon marks the start of the new month for many lunar and lunisolar calendars. The second month of the Chinese year of the Rabbit starts on Monday, February 20, 2023. In the Islamic calendar the months traditionally start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon. Many Muslim communities now follow the Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia, which uses astronomical calculations to start months in a more predictable way. Using this calendar, sundown on Monday evening, February 20, will probably mark the beginning of Sha'ban, the month before Ramadan. The Tibetan New Year, the start of Losar, the first month of the Tibetan calendar, is on Tuesday, February 21, and is a festival celebrated in Tibetan Buddhism. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Losar for more information. Sundown on Tuesday, February 21, marks the start of Adar in the Hebrew calendar.

Tuesday, February 21. 2023, will be Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove or Fat Tuesday, the last night of carnival before the 40 days of fasting for Lent in the Christian tradition. The date of Mardi Gras is loosely linked to the lunar cycle. Mardi Gras is tied to Easter and Easter is usually the first Sunday after the first full Moon of spring.

Tuesday evening, February 21, 2023, the bright planet Venus will appear about 8 degrees above the thin, waxing crescent Moon on the west-southwestern horizon, with the Moon 9 degrees above the horizon as evening twilight ends (at 6:50 PM EST) and moonset an hour later (at 7:43 PM). This will be one of the crescent Moons that looks most like an upright bowl or a smile, and is called the Wet Moon or the Cheshire Moon. According to Wikipedia, the term "Wet Moon" originates from Hawaiian mythology, when the Moon appears like a bowl that could fill up with water. From the latitudes of the Hawaiian islands this is usually the crescent Moon that occurs between about January 20 and February 18, roughly corresponds with Kaelo the Water Bearer in Hawaiian astrology. As the year passes into summer, the crescent shape tilts, pouring out the water and causing the summer rains. The term "Cheshire Moon" is a reference to the smile of the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This year, for the Washington DC area (and similar latitudes), the crescent Moons on February 21 and March 22 are basically tied, but since the traditional Hawaiian Wet Moon occurs earlier, let's consider this the Wet Moon!

Wednesday evening, February 22, 2023, the bright planet Jupiter will appear quite close to the waxing crescent Moon. Jupiter will be 1.5 degrees to the upper right as evening twilight ends (at 6:51 PM EST) and will set first on the western horizon 2 hours later (at 8:51 PM).

Sunday evening, February 26, 2023, as evening twilight ends (at 6:55 PM EST), the Pleiades star cluster will appear about 4 degrees to the lower right of the waxing half-moon. The Pleiades will set first 6 hours later (around 1 AM on Monday morning).

On Monday morning, February 27, 2023, the Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 3:06 AM EST.

Monday evening into early Tuesday morning, February 27 to 28, 2023, the planet Mars will appear quite close to the waxing gibbous Moon. Mars will be about 2 degrees to the left as evening twilight ends (at 6:56 PM EST). They will be at their closest after midnight on Tuesday morning (at around 1 AM) and Mars will set first an hour or so after that (at 2:21 AM).

Wednesday evening, March 1, 2023, the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will appear just half a degree apart. They will be 17 degrees above the western horizon as evening twilight ends (at 6:58 PM EST) and will set together about 1.5 hours later (at 8:31 PM).

Thursday evening into Friday morning, March 2 to 3, 2023, the bright star Pollux (the brighter of the twins in the constellation Gemini) will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon. Pollux will be 2 degrees to the left as evening twilight ends (at 6:59 PM EST), the Moon will reach its highest in the sky about 2 hours later (at 9:11 PM) with Pollux above the Moon, and Pollux will be 5 degrees to the right of the Moon as the pair sets on the northwestern horizon 9 hours after that (at 5:57 AM).

Friday afternoon, March 3, 2023, at 1:01 PM EST, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit.

Sunday night into Monday morning, March 5 to 6, 2023, the bright star Regulus will appear to the lower right of the waxing gibbous Moon. Regulus will be 4.5 degrees to the right as evening twilight ends (at 7:02 PM EST), the Moon will reach its highest in the sky 4.5 hours later (at 11:30 PM) with Regulus 4 degrees below, and morning twilight will begin 6 hours after that (at 5:36 AM) with Regulus 5 degrees below.

The full Moon after next will be Tuesday morning, March 7, 2023, at 7:40 AM EST. The Moon will appear full for about 3 days around this time, from Sunday evening through Wednesday morning (and possibly early Wednesday evening).