Supermoon season starts with this week’s Snow Moon

This week’s upcoming full moon will be the fourth largest moon of the year and a precursor for three consecutive supermoons.

This months' full moon is known in astronomical circles as a Snow Moon or Hunger Moon.

The February full moon is named after the snow on the ground. Native Americans were known to refer to it as the Hunger Moon, due to food scarcities prevalent at that time of year.

According to a SkyNews.ca report, full moons always rise around sunset and set around sunrise. February moons culminate very high in the night sky and cast shadows similar to the summer midday sun due to the position of the ecliptic on winter nights.

This week’s full moon, which rises on Feb. 8, occurs one and a half days before perigee, or the point at which the moon’s orbit is closest to the Earth, making this week’s full moon a near supermoon.

With grey skies forecast for most of the week, the best bet for viewing this month’s full moon will likely be in Kamloops, where the forecast calls for a mix of sun and cloud Sunday, while the Okanagan is expected to be under mainly cloudy conditions.

However, if you miss this month’s full moon, don’t despair.

We should get our fill of supermoons in the coming months, as a trio of full supermoons are in store for March 9, April 8 and May 7, 2020.

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