A Snow Moon was visible in the sky Monday night. A Snow Moon is the first full moon of February and is so titled because February often sees the highest amount of snow fall in North America. It has also been called the Full Hunger Moon because of the difficulty of hunting in November, which portended a scarcity of food for ancient tribes.
According to Space, the moon lined up exactly with the sun at 3:26 p.m. EST. The moon could be spotted from sunset to sunrise, making Monday the only night in February on which the moon was visible all night. But for those unable to see the moon directly on Monday night, viewing was possible via a live webcast through five Slooh telescopes operating out of the Canary Islands.
"Using our observatory in the Canary Islands, we will explore the Full Snow Moon, sometimes known as the Hunger Moon, with fascinating stories by astronomer Bob Berman," said Slooh president Patrick Paolucci.
The Snow Moon has gone by other names as well. Wishram Native Americans called it the "Shoulder to Shoulder Around The Fire Moon." Zuni Native Americans named it the "No Snow in the Trails Moon" and the Cherokee called it the "Bone Moon." "Bone Moon" referenced the fact that food was so scarce that people chewed on bones and consumed bone marrow soup.
Native Americans named each of the full moons in order to help keep track of the seasons. Some other names include the "Wolf Moon" (January), the "Strawberry Moon" (June) and the "Harvest Moon" (September).
Lucky viewers may have also caught a glimpse of the International Space Station, which traveled from west to east across the northern sky Monday night.
"The International Space Station will pass over just as the moon is rising on Monday night," stated the Baltimore Sun in an explanation of how viewers might be able to see the ISS pass the Snow Moon. "It will appear as a bright light, brighter than a star, moving swiftly across the sky."
Read more: Did The Moon Ever Have Water?
