Hey, Space Placers!
Well, the Full Snow Moon https://www.farmersalmanac.com/february-full-snow-moon , is certainly living up to its name here in the DMV and East Coast as we are in a full blown winter storm forecast with plenty of snow expected.
Each month’s Full Moon is given a name that corresponds to the characteristics of the month https://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names-traditional-and-alternative and the Full Snow Moon occurs tomorrow morning, February 12th, at 8:53 a.m. EST https://youtu.be/3Vt-wO-Wzbs?list=PLcwd1eS7Gpr5_Ran7WAUSPdz0DbVmrQ-a . Our weather is forecast to be cloudy until Thursday https://wtop.com/10-day-weather-forecast-in-washington-dc/ so hopefully we can see an almost Full Moon illuminating any snow that remains.
When looking at the Moon, be aware that two spacecraft are headed to the Moon which were launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 last month https://wtop.com/national/2025/01/two-private-lunar-landers-head-toward-the-moon-in-a-roundabout-journey/ . One will attempt a lunar landing next month while the other mission is looking towards a May-June landing attempt.
On Valentine’s Day - February 14th - be on the lookout in the western horizon as it gets dark after sunset for the Zodiacal Light https://youtu.be/tY1-UJAbPcY?list=PLcwd1eS7Gpr5_Ran7WAUSPdz0DbVmrQ-a . You will need a dark sky site to see it. It should be visible for weeks.
Oh, and while you are enjoying Valentine’s Day, be sure to say hello to the Goddess of Love - the planet Venus - high and super bright in the southwestern sky https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/venus-brightest-greatest-brilliancy-greatest-illuminated-extent-2/ .
If you are in a dark sky site while looking, use a white sheet or piece of white cardboard - even a white colored car - to try and see your shadow being cast by the light of Venus! Today she is at greatest brilliancy and can actually cast your shadow as a result. Put your car or material so it faces Venus. If you can see the light of Venus on your object, turn your back to Venus and move so you are centered. Use your smartphone/camera to take a pic and check the results. If clear, I will be doing the same myself.
You can get more on the month’s sky happenings here https://wtop.com/the-space-place/2025/02/whats-up-in-the-sky-february-2025-lineup-of-planets-eye-catching-alignments/ .
Follow Greg Redfern on Facebook, Bluesky and his daily blog to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
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