Seasonal & Holidays

How To See The Full Snow Moon And Rare Green Comet Over Wisconsin

Here's what Wisconsinites need to know about peeping at the full snow moon on Sunday. If we're lucky, we may also get a glimpse of a comet.

Native American tribes in the North and East called the February full moon the snow moon, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. The full moon will rise over Wisconsin on Sunday.
Native American tribes in the North and East called the February full moon the snow moon, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. The full moon will rise over Wisconsin on Sunday. (Scott Anderson/Patch)

WISCONSIN — February's full moon on Sunday owes its nickname — the full snow moon — to something plenty of Wisconsinites are sure to relate to.

In case you haven't guessed, the name of the Feb. 5 full moon comes from the way it is at its brightest during what is typically the snowiest time of year. For many in southeast Wisconsin, the snow cover came just in time for the full moon.

Whether or not we'll get a good view of it, though, depends on the weather. The National Weather Service forecast a mostly cloudy night on Sunday, though the low will be around 18.

Find out what's happening in Milwaukeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The full moon will reach peak illumination at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, but will be buried below the horizon. Look in the eastern sky around sunset — that’s around 5:09 p.m. in Wisconsin — and watch the moon as it drifts above the horizon. The moon reaches the highest point in the sky around midnight.

Native American tribes in the North and East called the February full moon the snow moon, according to the Farmers’ Almanac.

Find out what's happening in Milwaukeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Food was also scarce in February, so the Cherokee used names such as the bony moon or hungry moon, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Other monikers for the February full moon used by tribes are the bald eagle moon or eagle moon, used by the Cree; the bear moon and black bear moon by the Ojibwa; the raccoon moon by the Dakota; the groundhog moon by certain Algonquin peoples; and the goose moon by the Haida.

Once-In-A-Lifetime Comet Views

Before the moon turns full, try to catch a glimpse of a rare green comet that hasn’t been seen since Neanderthals roamed Earth in the Upper Paleolithic period. Comet ZTF made its closest approach to Earth on Wednesday, but should still be visible for a couple more weeks before it disappears for another 50,000 or so years.

Related: See The Rare Green Comet Before It Disappears For 50,000 Years

It could be visible with the naked eye. The important word is “could.”

“Comet brightness is notoriously hard to predict, though,” according to NASA. They often fail to measure up to predictions about brightness, or they may exceed expectations, the agency said.

Telescopes and binoculars will offer the best views of the comet in the morning sky as it moves northwest, according to Space.com. With a telescope, skywatchers can expect to see the comet through mid-February.

Related: 2023 Guide To Meteor Showers, Full Moons And Supermoons

The comet is expected to brighten as it moves out of the Corona Borealis constellation this week and passes through the constellations Boötes, Draco, Ursa Minor and eventually Camelopardalis in its close approach to Earth. Track Comet ZTF’s movements on Universe Today.

Also Worth A Glimpse

Winter is also a good time to gaze at Orion, the celestial warrior and the most brilliant of all the constellations with several prominent, bright stars — the red giant Betelgeuse at the upper left and the blue giant Rigel at the lower right, with its most recognizable feature being the belt consisting of three bright blue stars in the center.


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