How to see the super snow moon tonight
Biggest and brighter supermoon of 2019 set to light up the sky

Stargazers are being treated to another spectacular lunar phenomenon with the so-called “super snow moon” tonight.
The phenomenon occurs when the Moon come closest to the Earth during its monthly elliptical orbit, and as a result appears “much bigger and brighter than normal”, the Daily Mirror says.
However, weather forecasters have warned that cloudy and overcast conditions could leave some stargazers disappointed, particularly in Scotland and northern England.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What is the super snow moon?
Supermoons, also know as perigee moons, occur when the Moon is at its closest approach to Earth. During this time, it looks around 15% bigger and up to 30% brighter than a full moon at its furthest point away from our planet.
The “snow” refers to when this supermoon occurs. Each month, the full moon for that period “carries a different name signifying what is most associated with that time”, says CNN.
“This is because centuries ago, lunar months were associated with the changing seasons rather than the solar year,” the news site adds.
Last month brought the “super wolf moon”, a name given to the January full moon by Native Americans and Europeans.
February’s full moon is dubbed the “snow moon” because it is a month associated with heavy snowfall. The next full moon, on 21 March, is known as the worm moon, since this is typically the time of year when the ground begins to thaw and earthworms reappear.
Where can I see it?
The Moon will be at its fullest during daylight hours, peaking at 3.53pm in the south of the UK, but visibility will be better after sunset, at 5.26pm.
The Met Office forcasts that much of southern England will remain clear and dry, resulting in good visibility during the super snow moon, while the north and Scotland will have mostly overcast skies.
“After a chilly start there will be sunny spells for many,” the weather service said in a tweet. “Dull, wet and windy weather will develop over Northern Ireland though, spreading into Scotland, northwest England and Wales later.”
Met Office forecaster Emma Smith added: “Rain coming in from the west will make it a wet day for many access the UK. It really will be quite overcast tonight, although there may be some breaks in clouds for those on the south coast.
“There will be persistent rain in northern England, Scotland and Wales, with heavy downpours of up to 60mm in higher areas.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Not there yet: The frustrations of the pocket AI
Feature Apple rushes to roll out its ‘Apple Intelligence’ features but fails to deliver on promises
By The Week US Published
-
Full moon calendar: dates and times for every full moon this year
In depth When to see the lunar phenomenon every month
By Devika Rao, The Week US Last updated
-
Earth's mini-moon was the moon all along
Under the radar More lunar rocks are likely floating in space
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'Super Earth': the exoplanet in the 'habitable zone' for alien life
The Explainer HD 20794 D is located in the 'habitable zone' of a star similar to our Sun
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
The moon has been listed as a threatened historic site
Under the radar Human influence has extended to space
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Eclipses 'on demand' mark a new era in solar physics
Under the radar The European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission gives scientists the ability to study one of the solar system's most compelling phenomena
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Dark energy data suggest Einstein was right
Speed Read Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity has been proven correct, according to data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Nasa mission to probe possibility of life on Europa
Speed Read Exploration of Jupiter's icy moon could reveal how common habitable environments are in the universe
By The Week UK Published
-
Earth may be gaining a temporary moon
Under the radar A planetary plus-one
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published