Tonight's Full Moon Is a Snow Moon: How to See It Online

Snow Moon Feb 2013 — Mon., Feb. 25, 3:26 p.m. EST. The full moon of February is called the Snow Moon. Its Cree name is Cepizun, meaning “old moon.” Other names are Hunger Moon, Storm Moon and Candles Moon. In Hindi it is known as Magh Poornima. Its Sinhala (Buddhist) name is Navam. The full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, the only night in the month when the moon is in the sky all night long. The rest of the month, the moon spends at least some time in the daytime sky. (Image credit: Starry Night Software)

For an extra-special view of tonight's (Feb. 25) full moon, don't just look out your window — tune in to a live webcast of the sight from a telescope in the Canary Islands.

From our point of view on Earth, the moon will be directly opposite the sun and fully illuminated at 3:26 p.m. EST (2026 GMT). February's full moon is traditionally called the "Snow Moon," because the heaviest snows of the year often fall in this month in North America. Alternately, this month's moon sometimes bears the name "Full Hunger Moon," because hunting is often difficult in February and food was scarce for ancient tribes.

For more on the history of full moon nicknames, as well as the science of the moon's cycles, check out the Slooh Space Camera's live webcast today beginning at 3:30 EST. The webcast will show views from an observatory on the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of Africa.

"Using our observatory in the Canary Islands, we will explore the Full Snow Moon, sometimes known as the Hunger Moon, with fascinating stories by astronomer Bob Berman," Slooh president Patrick Paolucci told SPACE.com.

Watch SPACE.com's full moon webcast from Slooh for free, beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST.

The online Slooh Space Camera broadcasts weekly shows highlighting the wonders of the universe. The project launched on Christmas Day of 2003.

Editor's Note: If you snap a great photo of tonight's full moon and want to share it with SPACE.com for a possible story or gallery, please send the photo and comments to spacephotos@space.com.

This story was provided by SPACE.com, a sister site to Live Science. You can follow SPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

Clara has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has written for both Space.com and Live Science.