The second full moon of 2024, the Snow Moon of February, wowed skywatchers around the world with a dazzling display last night. February's full moon rose on Wednesday (Feb. 12) and remained high in the sky for most of the night before finally setting with the morning sun.

The Snow Moon rose on Feb. 12, 2025, marking the end of Chinese New Year and setting up both the beginning of Ramadan and a total lunar eclipse for North America.

The moon reached its peak brightness at 8:53 a.m. EST (1353 GMT) on Feb. 12, but local moonrise and moonset times will depend on your location. As the February full moon rises, Mars will remain high in the sky to the upper right of the moon, creating a delightful skywatching scene.

The full moon in February was dubbed the snow moon due to the heavy snowfall typically seen this time of year, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, which first began publishing names for full moons in the 1930s.

There will also be two total lunar eclipses that occur during the March and September full moon events. A lunar eclipse, which causes the moon to look dark or dimmed, occurs when Earth is between the sun and moon and the three celestial objects line up in a row so that the moon passes into our planet’s shadow.

The second full moon of the year − appropriately called the snow moon − will reach its peak Wednesday evening.

Atlantic, snow storms will prevent many stargazers from catching the Snow Moon. Talk about irony. In the Northern Hemisphere, February is the middle of winter. According to NASA, this is why Native American tribes named this month’s full moon the Snow Moon.

Here's everything to know about the full snow moon, including more on its nickname and when to see it over California skies.

The full “snow moon” was captured setting behind a church steeple in picturesque Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on February 12. The full moon in February has been dubbed the snow moon due to the heavy snowfall typically seen this time of year,