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Space
Space
Science
Robert Lea

See February's Full Snow Moon light up the night sky around the world (photos)

A bright full moon stands out starkly against a perfectly black night sky.

February's full moon, the Snow Moon, rose over Earth on Saturday, Feb. 24, with skywatchers braving the frosty weather to catch stunning images of the second full moon of 2024.

The Snow Moon is the smallest of 2024, with it appearing around 10% smaller in the night sky due to the fact that the moon's orbit is a flattened circle, or ellipse. This means sometimes the moon is closer to Earth or at perigee (its closest point to Earth in its orbit), and sometimes, such as on Saturday, it is further away or at apogee (the farthest point from Earth in its orbit).

Astrophotographers didn't let the slightly more diminutive status of the Snow Full Moon deter them from catching some images that have a big impact. 

Related: Full moon calendar 2024: When to see the next full moon 
Read more: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2024

One photographer caught the Full Snow Moon rising behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City on Saturday, snapping February's full 'micromoon' from Jersey City, New Jersey.

The full Snow Moon rises behind the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn in New York City on February 24, 2024, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Image credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

The Full Snow Moon was also captured at the peak of the Empire State Building, New York's other most famous landmark, which was lit in the colors of the flag of Ukraine. This image was taken from Hoboken, New Jersey by Gary Hershorn. 

The full Snow Moon rises above the Empire State Building lit in the colors of the flag of Ukraine in New York City on Feb. 24, 2024 (Image credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

On X, user Dan Martland shared timelapse footage of the snow moon rising over midtown Manhattan filmed from 9.5 miles away in Newark, New Jersey.

In California, passers-by watched as the Snow Moon rose shrouded in mist and clouds, over Seal Point Park at San Francisco Bay in San Mateo on Saturday. 

The Snow Moon seen through the haze by passers-by on Feb. 24 in San Mateo, California (Image credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Snow might not be something usually associated with California, but on Saturday, the Snow Moon was pictured rising over a snow-covered hill in Mammoth Lakes by Mario Tama after recent storms increased the snowpack alleviating fears of a 'snow drought' in the state.

The Snow moon rises over Mammoth lakes in California. (Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Snow might be an unusual sight for California, but pigeons are definitely commonplace in New Jersey. A bird ignores the nearly full moon as it rises over Secaucus City in New Jersey.

The nearly full moon rises over Secaucus city of New Jersey, United States on Feb. 20, 2024 (Image credit: Islam Dogru/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Also on X, the aptly named TheMoonGuy shared stunning images he snapped of the Snow Moon rising over Salford in Manchester. 

Also in the U.K., X user Veronica in the Fens caught a less metropolitan view of the Snow Moon as it rose over the beautiful scenery of the Great Ouse River in the Fens, Ely. 

X user Anas shared an image of the Snow Moon emerging from behind the steel and glass structure of a building in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday evening. 

The Snow Moon took on an almost contradictory firey orange glow as seen over West Bengal, India, On Feb. 24, showing the major contrasting visages a single full moon can take on depending on the conditions in the sky it is observed in.

The Snow Moon seen over , West Bengal, India On Feb. 24 2024 (Image credit: Soumyabrata Roy/Getty Images)

The Snow Moon was seen with an almost ephemeral glow from L'Aquila, Italy, on Saturday in this time-lapse image that tracks its progress through the night sky.

The snow moon rises over L'Aquila, Italy, on Feb. 24th (Image credit: Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhot/Getty Images)
TOP TELESCOPE PICK:
(Image credit: Celestron)

Looking for a telescope to see the moon? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide

If these incredible Snow Moon images have got you warmed up to the idea of capturing the next fully illuminated lunar face for yourself, you won't have to wait too long. The next full moon, the third of 2024, is the Worm Moon, which rises on March 25.

If you'd like to take a look at the  next full moon up close, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.

And whether you want to take your own photos of the moon or to explore photographing the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our recommendations for the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

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