‘Minimoon’ to rise over Pennsylvania soon. Here’s why it will look smaller than usual
A full “snow” moon will be visible from central Pennsylvania in late February, but it won’t look quite as big as most full moons.
The celestial event is unofficially referred to as a “minimoon,” according to astronomy publication Space.com, because it will occur one day before the moon reaches the farthest point from Earth in its orbit. Because it will be farther away from Earth, it won’t look as big to stargazers.
The snow moon gets its name from the relatively frequent snowfall that typically happens in February, the Farmers’ Almanac reports. Other names for the moon include the deep snow moon, ice moon, midwinter moon and more.
Full moons have multiple names, and many come from Indigenous cultures. The Farmers’ Almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.
Here’s when to look for this month’s full moon in the State College area.
When can you see the snow moon in State College?
The snow moon will become full at 7:31 a.m. Eastern Standard Time Saturday, Feb. 24, according to NASA, and will appear full from the evening of Thursday, Feb. 22 to Sunday, Feb. 25.
The sun will set at 5:56 p.m. in State College Feb. 24 and rise at 6:52 a.m. the next morning, according to online global clock Time and Date.
Saturday night should be mostly clear and cold in State College, with a low around 15 degrees Fahrenheit, the National Weather Service reports.
The Central Pennsylvania Observers will host a meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. March 7 at South Hills Business School in State College, and the event is open to the public. The group will hold its first Skywatch, which is a free public stargazing event, of the year from 8 to 10 p.m. April 5 at Bernel Road Park.
More full moons in 2024
If you miss the snow moon, you will have 10 more chances to catch a full moon this year, including a few full supermoons.
Here’s this year’s full moon calendar, with information from Space.com:
March 25: Worm moon
April 23: Pink moon
May 23: Flower moon
June 21: Strawberry moon
July 21: Buck moon
Aug. 19: Sturgeon moon (supermoon and blue moon)
Sept. 17: Harvest moon (supermoon and partial lunar eclipse)
Oct. 17: Hunter’s moon (supermoon)
Nov. 15: Beaver moon (supermoon)
Dec. 15: Cold moon
Pennsylvania stargazers will have the opportunity to see the April 8 solar eclipse in totality in Erie and much of the northwestern edge of the state around 3:15 p.m. that day, the Centre Daily Times previously reported.
This story was originally published February 17, 2024 at 9:00 AM.
