A RARE Super Snow Moon will be visible in the sky over Ireland tonight, Tuesday February 19th.
‘What is a Super Snow Moon?’ we hear you ask. The answer isn't actually that complicated.
Quite simply, a super moon occurs when a new or full moon is at its closest to the Earth.
Not technical astronomical term, the phrase super moon was first coined by Richard Nolle in 1979 to describe when the moon is within 90 percent of its closest approach to the earth in any orbit.
“In short, the earth, sun and the moon are all in a line, with the moon at its nearest approach to earth,” Nolle said in a 1979 edition of Horoscope Magazine.
The term ‘snow moon’ refers to a full moon occurring during the month of February.
A 'Supermoon' captured in Dublin (Photo by David Costello Photography)A term originally coined by the Native American community, the term snow moon now features in the Old Farmer’s Almanac and is said to refer more generally to a full moon during cold temperatures when snow is traditionally on the ground.
Combine these two phrases and you have the Super Snow Moon which is set to reach peak fullness over Ireland at around 3:53pm GMT tomorrow.
Though it won’t necessarily been visible at that point in the day, if the sky is clear, stargazers will be able to see it in full later that evening.
The giant lunar nightlight is set to give a whole new meaning to the idea of dancing “under the light of the silvery moon” and is one you won’t want to miss.
Following on from January’s Super Blood Wolf Moon, the Super Snow Moon will be the brightest moon of its kind until 2026 at the earliest.
2019’s third and final super moon is set to arrive in Ireland on March 21st.
The full worm moon won’t be as spectacular as either the Super Red Moon and Super Snow Moon – so make sure you don’t miss out on this spectacular sight.
Can you tell the difference between a blood red moon and a piece of ham? Take this quiz and find out.
See More: Moon, Super Moon
