{"id":15980,"date":"2024-02-24T00:51:25","date_gmt":"2024-02-24T00:51:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/24\/this-weekends-full-moon-will-be-a-micromoon-heres-what-that-means\/"},"modified":"2024-02-24T00:51:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T00:51:25","slug":"this-weekends-full-moon-will-be-a-micromoon-heres-what-that-means","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/24\/this-weekends-full-moon-will-be-a-micromoon-heres-what-that-means\/","title":{"rendered":"This weekend\u2019s full moon will be a \u2018micromoon.\u2019 Here\u2019s what that means"},"content":{"rendered":"
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February\u2019s full moon, known as the snow moon, is set to peak on Saturday, shining bright around the world in the night sky. <\/p>\n

The moon will be at its most full at 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday, according to EarthSky, but to the human eye, the moon will appear full for a couple of days, so the best time to view it will be the nights before and after its peak. <\/p>\n

While called the snow moon \u2014 a nickname inspired by the heavy snowfall typically seen in February in parts of the United States, according to the Farmers\u2019 Almanac \u2014 the golden orb will look almost like any ordinary full moon. But this moon will be a micromoon, meaning it might look slightly smaller than usual. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a little bit farther away from Earth than (the moon) typically is,\u201d said Rachel Klima, a <\/strong>planetary geologist and lunar expert with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about 10% smaller. So it may look a little bit smaller. But a lot of the time, when people see a really huge moon, it\u2019s usually because it\u2019s low on the horizon, rather than because of the actual distance of it,\u201d Klima said. \u201c(The micromoon) won\u2019t be super, super tiny. It\u2019ll just be a little bit smaller than your average full moon that you look up at.\u201d <\/p>\n

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<\/span> The night sky will have a multitude of delights in store for stargazers in 2024. What to look for<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The full moon phase occurs when the moon, Earth and the sun are in alignment, in that order. February\u2019s full moon will occur when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth in its elliptical orbit, known as the apogee, Klima said. The micromoon will also be dimmer than the moon typically looks by about 30%, according to EarthSky, allowing for slightly better visibility of nearby celestial objects, without the average luminous interference. <\/p>\n

This year, the snow moon will be seen shining next to constellation Leo\u2019s brightest star, Regulus. Near the moon\u2019s peak, on the night of February 23, the star will be seen just below the orb, according to EarthSky. <\/p>\n

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<\/span> Brightest known object in the universe was hiding in plain sight for decades, researchers say<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

You obviously don\u2019t need any special equipment to enjoy moon-gazing, but binoculars can be a good tool for those looking to see its features and craters clearly, Klima said. While full moons are best observed in clear skies, even in slightly cloudy weather the moon will occasionally peek through the clouds, she added. <\/p>\n

Lunar exploration<\/h3>\n

On Thursday, the Odysseus lunar lander successfully soft-landed near the moon\u2019s south pole, accomplishing a feat that had not been attempted by any vehicle launched from the United States since the Apollo program ended more than five decades ago. Intuitive Machines\u2019 IM-1 mission also marked the first commercial spacecraft to soft-land on the moon amid a renewed international dash for the lunar surface. <\/p>\n

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<\/span> Why it\u2019s so difficult to land on the moon, even five decades after Apollo<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe nice thing to kind of dream about when you look up at the moon right now is how much renewed activity there is internationally,\u201d Klima said. \u201cWe\u2019re basically opening up a new era of lunar exploration. \u2026 As these different companies start to land on the moon, we\u2019re going to be able to learn much, much more and really have this whole new world \u2014 economic world and scientific world \u2014 opened up to us.\u201d <\/p>\n

More full moons this year<\/h3>\n

Of the 12 full moons in 2024, February\u2019s full moon is the only micromoon of the year, while the September and October lunar events will be considered supermoons, according to\u00a0EarthSky. <\/p>\n

Definitions of a supermoon can vary, but the term generally denotes a full moon that is closer to Earth than normal and thus appears larger and brighter in the night sky. Some astronomers say the phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90% of perigee \u2014 its closest approach to Earth in orbit. <\/p>\n

Here are the remaining full moons of 2024: <\/p>\n

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March 25: Worm moon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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April 23: Pink moon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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May 23: Flower moon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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June 21: Strawberry moon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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July 21: Buck moon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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August 19: Sturgeon moon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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September 17: Harvest moon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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October 17: Hunter\u2019s moon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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November 15: Beaver moon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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December 15: Cold moon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Solar and lunar eclipses<\/h3>\n

Multiple eclipses will occur in 2024, including two types of lunar eclipses and two types of solar eclipses, according to the\u00a0Old Farmer\u2019s Almanac. <\/p>\n

The most highly anticipated of these events is the\u00a0total solar eclipse on April 8, which will be visible in parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun\u2019s face. <\/p>\n

Those within the path of totality, or locations where the moon\u2019s shadow will completely cover the sun, will see a total solar eclipse. People outside the path of totality will still be able to see a partial solar eclipse in which the moon only obscures part of the sun\u2019s face. <\/p>\n

A total solar eclipse won\u2019t be visible across the contiguous United States again until August 2044. <\/p>\n

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<\/span> Here\u2019s what can happen when you view an eclipse incorrectly<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

An annular solar eclipse will occur on October 2 over parts of South America. This type of eclipse is similar to a total solar eclipse, except the moon is at the farthest point in its orbit from Earth, so it can\u2019t completely block the sun. Instead, annular solar eclipses create a \u201cring of fire\u201d in the sky as the sun\u2019s fiery light surrounds the moon\u2019s shadow. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible to many across Europe, North and East Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and South America between March 24 and 25. <\/p>\n

A lunar eclipse, which causes the moon to look dark or dimmed, occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align so that the moon passes into Earth\u2019s shadow. A penumbral lunar eclipse is more subtle and happens when the moon moves through the outer shadow, or penumbra, of Earth. <\/p>\n

A partial lunar eclipse, in which Earth moves between the sun and the full moon without being perfectly aligned, will appear over Europe and much of Asia, Africa, North America and South America between September 17 and 18. <\/p>\n

Check\u00a0Time and Date\u2019s website\u00a0to see when each of these eclipses will appear. <\/p>\n

Meteor showers of 2024<\/h3>\n

Sky-gazers can look forward to a multitude of meteor showers this year, according to the\u00a0American Meteor Society. Here are the dates when meteor events are expected to peak this year. <\/p>\n

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Lyrids: April 21-22<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Eta Aquariids: May 4-5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Southern delta Aquariids: July 29-30<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Alpha Capricornids: July 30-31<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Perseids: August 11-12<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Draconids: October 7-8<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Orionids: October 20-21<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Southern Taurids: November 4-5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Northern Taurids: November 11-12<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Leonids: November 17-18<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Geminids: December 13-14<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ursids: December 21-22<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

February\u2019s full moon, known as the snow moon, is set to peak on Saturday, shining bright around the world in the night sky. The moon will be at its most full at 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday, according to EarthSky, but to the human eye, the moon will appear full for a couple of days, so <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":15981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15980","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}