Snow Moon—Wonder Wedneday

It's WONDER Wednesday!

This week's WONDER is the snow moon. We think you'll agree: a full moon by any other name is pretty wondrous.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?
According to The Old Farmers Almanac, it's called the snow moon because February is the snowiest month of the year. But it's also known as the hunger moon, storm moon, or ice moon. And it's called Makwa Giizis (bear moon) in Anishnaabemowin as this is the time of year that bear cubs are born.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?
The moon still rules our busy modern lives. The Western calendar is based on both solar and lunar cycles. Guess where the word 'month' comes from? Give it a think and then check comments for the answer!

WHAT'S A FULL MOON?
A common misunderstanding is that the entire sphere of the moon is lit up when we look at a full moon from our earthling perspective. In fact, we're only seeing one side (lunar hemisphere). This near side appears disk-like in the sky when the earth is directly between the sun and moon.

MOON GAZING
If you're in Northern Michigan, you can catch the moonrise at 6:07PM tonight, the peak at 12:40AM and the moonset at 8:09AM on Thursday. Here's hoping those clouds part!