This Is the Last Night to See the ‘Snow Moon’ in Sioux Falls
New moon on Monday
And a fire dance through the night
I stayed the cold day
With a lonely satellite - -Duran, Duran 1983
No, I have no idea what that song is about either. I only know that when I hear about anything to do with the moon, that refrain starts rolling around in my head!
In the 1930s the Maine Farmer's Almanac began publishing the names that Native Americans gave to full moons. AIANTA, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association also gathered names used by tribes for the full moons.
So the February full moon is one moon with many names. It is called the "Snow", "Storm", or "Hunger" moon. This is because of the heavy snows that usually fall in this winter month. That snow made hunting very difficult which is where the "Hunger" name came from.
It is also called the Suckerfish Moon, First Flower Moon, Midwinter Moon, and Little Sister of the Waning Moon.
My personal favorite and the most used name is Snow moon. I've been enjoying it on the drive to work for days now. An added bonus is the opportunity to see the planet Jupiter on the western horizon.
According to NASA, the Snow moon will only appear as a full moon until about 11 PM tonight (Thursday, February 17) in our little part of the world.
If you'd like to see the moonrise and moonset times for the next full moon in your city and/or area just go to Time and Date online, type in your city and you'll be fascinated by all the information you'll find.
If you don't care about all the scientific blurby blurb, just look up tonight and enjoy the beautiful full "Snow" moon.
Sources: NPR, NASA, Time and Date