A Super Snow Moon Is Almost Here, so Set Your Alarms

Lunar lovers: Mark your calendars, because the next cosmic event is coming…soon.

The next supermoon of the year will take place on Tuesday, February 19, but the best time to watch it will be early in the morning (so set those alarms and try to avoid the snooze button). This is the second supermoon of 2019, after the Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse that occurred on January 20.

This Super Snow Moon will be the biggest, brightest and closest supermoon of the year, and will be at its fullest at 10:53 a.m. EST on Tuesday morning. However, the moon will look its biggest and brightest at 6:55 a.m. EST (hence the aforementioned early-morning wake-up call).

The “supermoon” part indicates the moon will be a full moon and at its closest point of orbit to earth (called the “perigree”) at around the same time, making it look bigger and brighter than usual. The “snow” moon (also called the “hunger” or “storm” moon) gets its name from Native American culture.

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, February full moons were nicknamed “snow” by Native American tribes because of the heavy amount of snowfall during the month. On average, it’s the snowiest month of the year in the U.S., according to the National Weather Service.

The third and final supermoon of the year will take place on March 20, 2019 (but, again, it won’t be as big as the February one). Then we’ll have to wait ’til March 2020 to see the next super, so don’t miss out.

Or, ya know, just take a peek out the window before you go to bed on Monday night. (Who needs a 7 a.m. moon Instagram anyway?)