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Full moon in February 2023: when the snow moon can be seen as a "micro moon" in the sky

2023-02-04T12:00:39.989Z


The first full moon of the year was in January. When can you see the full moon in February 2023? Why is it a "micro moon" and called the snow moon?


The first full moon of the year was in January.

When can you see the full moon in February 2023?

Why is it a "micro moon" and called the snow moon?

Berlin – When is the full moon in February?

Because the moon will continue to orbit the earth undeterred in 2023.

It already shone for the first time in January as a full moon from heaven to earth and thus also to Germany.

Now, in February 2023, the next full moon phase is already imminent.

The full moon night is – at least in theory – the brightest night of the month.

Many people then sleep poorly and are tired and irritable the next day.

When is the full moon and why is the snow moon a micro moon?

But when exactly is the full moon in February 2023?

And why is this full moon also a "micro moon", which is also called a snow moon?

This is reported by kreiszeitung.de.

We have found out for you when the moon will enter its full moon phase in February 2023, when it will reach its furthest or closest point this year or when it will be in the sky as a super moon.

The full moon overview provides answers.

Why the full moon in February 2023 is a "micro moon" - and who gave it the name Scheemond

The next full moon for people in Germany will be on February 5, 2023.

It is visible on this day, a Sunday, at 19:30 (CET).

At the second full moon of the year one speaks of a so-called "micro moon".

This means that the satellite is at the farthest point in its orbit.

For observers, this means the moon may appear slightly smaller than usual.

The full moon on February 5th is the last micromoon of 2023.

The full moon in February 2023, like all full moons throughout the year, has a specific name.

It is referred to as the so-called "Snow Moon" - i.e. as a snow moon.

The snow moon owes its name to the North American natives.

They found that there was particularly heavy snowfall in February.

That is why they gave this name to the full moon in February.

Long after the full moon as a snow moon in February: When can the super moon be seen in 2023?

The first super full moon appears in the evening sky on August 2, 2023.

Super moons occur when the moon is particularly close to the earth as it moves around.

Due to its elliptical orbit, the distance between the center of the earth and the moon changes constantly.

On average, both celestial bodies are 384,400 kilometers apart - whereby here the two centers are measured and not the free space between the two objects. 

When the moon comes closer than 360,000 kilometers to earth, it is called a supermoon.

If this time also coincides with a full moon phase, it is called the super full moon.

On August 2, 2023 at 07:52 (CEST) the moon reaches a minimum distance of 357,311 kilometers from the earth.

And on August 1, 2023, Earth's satellite will reach its full moon phase.

Thus, the moon is particularly close to the earth on August 1, 2023 and appears as a super full moon in the evening sky.

During this time, it appears to shine brighter - because it can reflect more light from the sun - and be slightly larger.

The difference can hardly be seen without astronomical measuring instruments. 

Perigee in 2023: The moon is very close to the earth

The next supermoon will appear in the sky on August 31, 2023.

On August 30, 2023 at 5:54 p.m. (CEST), the satellite will reach a distance from Earth of 357,181 kilometers and can therefore be seen on the following evening as the second super full moon in 2023.

The two supermoons in 2023 will therefore only appear in August.

The moon is particularly close to the earth approximately every 28 days and is therefore in perigee, the point closest to the earth.

On January 21, 2023 at 21:56 (CET) the moon will reach its closest point for the entire year 2023.

Then it will be 356,569 kilometers from Earth.

In 2023 the moon will be in perigee thirteen times - in August it will be twice.

You can find the exact dates in the table below. 

date of perigee

local time

distance in kilometers

January 21, 2023

21:56 (CET)

356,569 kilometers

February 19, 2023

10:05 a.m. (CET)

358,267 kilometers

March 19, 2023

4:12 p.m. (CET)

362,696 kilometers

April 16, 2023

04:23 (CEST)

367,968 kilometers

May 11, 2023

07:05 (CEST)

369,343 kilometers

June 07, 2023

01:06 (CEST)

364,861 kilometers

July 05, 2023

00:24 (CEST)

360,149 kilometers

August 02, 2023

07:52 (CEST)

357,311 kilometers

August 30, 2023

17:54 (CEST)

357,181 kilometers

September 28, 2023

02:59 (CEST)

359,911 kilometers

October 26, 2023

05:02 (CEST)

364,872 kilometers

November 21, 2023

22:01 (CET)

369,818 kilometers

December 16, 2023

19:52 (CET)

367,901 kilometers

Apogee in 2023: The moon in far distance

When the moon is at its farthest point, it is at apogee.

This will happen thirteen times in 2023 - twice in March.

The Moon will be furthest from Earth on August 16, 2023 at 1:54 p.m. (CEST).

On this day he is at a distance of 406,634 kilometers.

As soon as the moon is more than 405,000 kilometers away from the earth, it is also called a mini moon.

Minimoons appear in the night sky on January 7, 2023, February 5, 2023, and August 16, 2023.

The other apogee dates can be found in the table below.

Date of apogee

local time

distance in kilometers

January 08, 2023

10:19 a.m. (CET)

406,458 kilometers

February 04, 2023

09:54 (CET)

406,476 kilometers

March 03, 2023

19:00 (CET)

405,889 kilometers

March 31, 2023

1:16 p.m. (CEST)

404,919 kilometers

April 28, 2023

08:43 (CEST)

404,299 kilometers

May 26, 2023

03:39 (CEST)

404,509 kilometers

June 22, 2023

20:30 (CEST)

405,385 kilometers

July 20, 2023

08:56 (CEST)

406,289 kilometers

August 16, 2023

13:54 (CEST)

406,634 kilometers

September 12, 2023

17:42 (CEST)

406,291 kilometers

October 10, 2023

05:41 (CEST)

405,426 kilometers

November 6, 2023

10:48 p.m. (CET)

404,569 kilometers

December 4, 2023

19:41 (CET)

404,346 kilometers

When is Full Moon in 2023: What is a Blue Moon?

And when is the new moon?

The moon will be in its full moon phase thirteen times in 2023.

Twice of these will happen in August 2023.

That is why this full moon is also called the Blue Moon.

But not because it glows blue.

Two full moons in one month are a rare event - hence the expression "Once in a blue moon". For this reason the second full moon in August 2023 is also called the blue moon.

Full moon is when the moon moves behind the earth as seen from the sun and all three celestial bodies are in an imaginary line.

At new moon, the trabant stands between the earth and the sun and only shows the earth its side facing away from the sun.

Since it does not reflect any light, the moon remains dark this evening - it is in the new moon.

When is full moon?

When is new moon?

January 07, 2023 at 00:09 (CET)

January 21, 2023 at 21:55 (CET)

February 05, 2023 at 19:30 (CET)

February 20, 2023 at 08:09 (CET)

March 07, 2023 at 13:42 (CET)

March 21, 2023 at 18:26 (CET)

April 06, 2023 at 06:37 (CEST)

April 20, 2023 at 06:15 (CEST)

May 05, 2023 at 19:36 (CEST)

May 19, 2023 at 5:55 p.m. (CEST)

June 04, 2023 at 05:43 (CEST)

June 18, 2023 at 06:39 (CEST)

July 03, 2023 at 13:40 (CEST)

July 17, 2023 at 8:33 p.m. (CEST)

August 01, 2023 at 20:33 (CEST)

August 16, 2023 at 11:38 am (CEST)

August 31, 2023 at 03:37 (CEST)

-

September 29, 2023 at 11:58 am (CEST)

September 15, 2023 at 03:40 (CEST)

October 28, 2023 at 10:24 p.m. (CEST)

October 14, 2023 at 19:55 (CEST)

November 27, 2023 at 10:16 (CET)

13 November 2023 at 10:27 (CET)

December 27, 2023 at 01:33 (CET)

December 13, 2023 at 00:32 (CET)

Black Moon in 2023

Another lunar event will be the Black Moon on May 19, 2023.

The black moon is only so named partly because of its color.

2023 is the third new moon in a season with four new moon phases.

Since the earth's satellite cannot be seen at new moon, the sky remains black that evening.

However, besides the seasonal black moon, there are other possibilities of a black moon.

For example, when there is no new moon in a month or when there is no full moon in a month.

This can only happen in February due to the lunar cycle of 29.5 days.

Then there is the monthly Black Moon, which occurs roughly every 29 months.

The second new moon in a month is called the black moon.

The golden handle is shown on the moon

Ten to eleven days after the new moon, an exciting phenomenon can be observed on the moon: the golden handle.

A bright handle shows up, because the sun rises on the Jura mountains of the moon.

The mountains are so high that they are already illuminated by sunlight while the plain is still completely in shadow.

It is worth grabbing binoculars or a good camera for observation.

The gaze should wander to the upper north-western edge of the lunar side facing Earth.

When does the golden handle appear?

observation period

January 2nd to 3rd, 2023

around 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. (CET)

January 31, 2023 to February 01, 2023

approximately 10:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. (CET)

March 2nd to 3rd, 2023

around 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. (CET)

April 01, 2023

approximately 01:00 a.m. to 05:30 a.m. (CEST)

April 30, 2023 to May 01, 2023

around 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. (CEST)

May 29-30, 2023

around 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. (CEST)

June 28-29, 2023

around 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. (CEST)

July 27-28, 2023

around 21:00 to 00:30 (CEST)

August 26-27, 2023

approximately 6:00 p.m. to 12:45 a.m. (CEST)

September 24-25, 2023

around 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. (CEST)

October 24-25, 2023

approximately 5:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. (CEST)

November 23, 2023

around 12:00 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. (CET)

December 22-23, 2023

approximately 7:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. (CET)

More lunar events in 2023: eclipses and occultations

On May 5, 2023 there will be a penumbral lunar eclipse.

However, this will not be visible over Germany.

The situation is different with the partial lunar eclipse on the night of October 29, 2023.

Then the shadow of the earth will cover a small part of the moon.

In 2023 the moon will cover some celestial bodies.

On October 18, 2023, the moon will occult Antares, the brightest star in the Scorpio constellation.

And on November 9, 2023, the moon will move in front of Venus.

Although the moon will move in front of the sun twice in 2023, the total solar eclipse on April 20, 2023 and the annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023 will not appear in Germany.

We have also put together other astronomical events for 2023 for you.

Are you interested in other exciting topics?

Do you want to learn more about the moon?

Then we recommend our lunar contributions to the Artemis mission, the Japanese-Arabian lunar mission last year or our piece on the formation of the moon.

We have also created a space preview for 2023 for you.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-02-04

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