We often take our silvering moon for granted, and yet sometimes all you need is a clear sky and the correct alignment, and suddenly this beautiful celestial body is just as enchanting to modern eyes as it was in antiquity.

So if you're someone who takes a keen interest in stargazing, sunsets, and all other kinds of stunning natural phenomena, then I have good news for you: NASA has announced that a beautiful so-called 'Snow Moon' will be visible in the skies over our heads sometime this weekend.

According to a post made on NASA's official website, a Snow Moon is a kind of 'Supermoon' - a phenomenon in which the moon appears to be gigantic from our earthbound perspective. Snow Moons occur annually when the moon is at perigee; the point in its orbit in which it is closest to the surface of the planet Earth.

The February full moon is due to reach its peak at 2.33 AM, eastern standard time, on Sunday, February 9. Per the space agency's post: "The shape of the Moon’s orbit changes over time (thanks to the gravitational influence of the Sun and the other planets). Extreme perigees and apogees, or the most distant point in the orbit, happen on a predictable basis."

It adds that the name 'Snow Moon' comes from its importance to indigenous American mythology. NASA writes: "As the midwinter moon or the second full moon of winter, the Native American tribes of what is now the northern and eastern United States called this the Snow Moon or the Hunger Moon... It was known as the Snow Moon because of the heavy snows that fall in this season."

So there you have it: keep your eyes peeled for a spectacular sight this weekend, and try to have your camera at the ready!

We often take our silvering moon for granted, and yet sometimes all you need is a clear sky and the correct alignment, and suddenly this beautiful celestial body is just as enchanting to modern eyes as it was in antiquity.

So if you're someone who takes a keen interest in stargazing, sunsets, and all other kinds of stunning natural phenomena, then I have good news for you: NASA has announced that a beautiful so-called 'Snow Moon' will be visible in the skies over our heads sometime this weekend.

According to a post made on NASA's official website, a Snow Moon is a kind of 'Supermoon' - a phenomenon in which the moon appears to be gigantic from our earthbound perspective. Snow Moons occur annually when the moon is at perigee; the point in its orbit in which it is closest to the surface of the planet Earth.

The February full moon is due to reach its peak at 2.33 AM, eastern standard time, on Sunday, February 9. Per the space agency's post: "The shape of the Moon’s orbit changes over time (thanks to the gravitational influence of the Sun and the other planets). Extreme perigees and apogees, or the most distant point in the orbit, happen on a predictable basis."

It adds that the name 'Snow Moon' comes from its importance to indigenous American mythology. NASA writes: "As the midwinter moon or the second full moon of winter, the Native American tribes of what is now the northern and eastern United States called this the Snow Moon or the Hunger Moon... It was known as the Snow Moon because of the heavy snows that fall in this season."

So there you have it: keep your eyes peeled for a spectacular sight this weekend, and try to have your camera at the ready!