'Snow Moon' follows February's planetary parade
The moon will be the centerpiece for two of February's astronomy sights, including an event that is linked to the wintry weather across North America.
From a planetary parade to winter stargazing, here are the top astronomy events for February 2025.
It has been a busy start to 2025 for astronomy lovers with plenty of planets spread across the sky, the moon passing between Mars and Earth in an eclipse-like event, and, in the Southern Hemisphere, views of a comet.
The celestial shows will continue into February with more easy-to-see events, provided the weather cooperates. From the Full Snow Moon to crystal-clear views of the cosmos, here are the top astronomical sights to look for in February:
Feb. 3: Moon aligned with 6 planets
The planetary parade that started in January got even better during the first week of the month as the moon joined the celestial show.
After sunset on Monday, Feb. 3, the crescent moon appeared in the middle of the alignment, glowing between Venus and Uranus in the southwestern sky. Six planets are spread across the sky, but a telescope is needed to spot Uranus and Neptune.
The moon continued to sweep past the planets throughout the first part of the month, meeting up with Jupiter on Feb. 6 and pairing up with Mars on Feb. 9.
Feb. 12: Full Snow Moon
The second full moon of 2025 rose on Feb. 12 during the second week of February, and will appear full on back-to-back nights.
February's full moon is known as the Snow Moon, as it is typically one of the snowiest months of the year across North America. Other nicknames include the Groundhog Moon, the Hungry Moon, the Bald Eagle Moon and the Bear Moon.
A passenger jet is silhouetted against the rising full moon as it takes off from Sky Harbor airport on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
The full moon will rise on the night of Tuesday, Feb. 11 into Wednesday, Feb. 12, and will continue to appear full on the following night.
Late-February: Look for twinkling stars
Winter is a pristine time for stargazing because the lack of moisture in the air makes the night sky appear crisper than during the humid and muggy nights of summer. The tradeoff, however, is enduring much colder weather while outdoors.
Stars also seem to twinkle more during winter, especially some of the brighter ones like Sirius, which shines below the famous constellation Orion. It also helps to stargaze in the night surrounding the new moon, which occurs on Feb. 27, as the lack of moonlight causes the cosmos to appear darker.
The constellation Orion shines above the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, on a clear night. (2up studio/Getty Images)
New skywatchers trying to identify planets in the night sky should focus on how objects appear; stars will twinkle, while planets will not.
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