2024, February 23: Night of the Snow Moon, the Smallest Full Moon of the Year

Astronomy, Sky Watching

February 23, 2024: This is the night of the Snow Moon, the smallest Full moon of the year.  Find bright Jupiter in the west-southwest after nightfall.

scenic view of beach during dawn
Photo Caption – scenic view of beach during dawn (Photo by Alex Montes on Pexels.com)

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:36 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:33 p.m. CST.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24

Here is today’s planet forecast:

Morning Sky

Morning Moon

Night of the Snow Moon Smallest Full moon of the year
Chart Caption – 2024, February 23: The bright moon is in the western sky with Regulus before sunrise.

The nearly-full moon is in the west at one hour before sunrise.  The lunar orb is nearly 10° up in the west-northwest, 8.1° to the lower right of Regulus, Leo’s brightest star.  The moon’s brightness may overwhelm the nearby stars.  Block the moon with your extended hand as you would to reduce the sun’s glare.

Venus

2024, February 23: At forty-minutes before daybreak, Venus is low in the east-southeast.
Chart Caption – 2024, February 23: At forty-minutes before daybreak, Venus is low in the east-southeast.

Venus descends into brighter twilight.  The planet is very low in the east-southeast twenty minutes later. The Morning Star rises sixty-six minutes before sunrise, about the time of Nautical Twilight.  As the name implies this is a seafaring term when the horizon can be distinguished from the sky.

Find a clear horizon to see Venus.  It is not far from Mars, but the Red Planet is much dimmer than Venus.

2024, February 23: At thirty minutes before sunrise, Venus and Mars are in the same binocular field of view.
Chart Caption – 2024, February 23: At thirty minutes before sunrise, Venus and Mars are in the same binocular field of view.

At thirty minutes before sunrise, use a binocular to see Venus 0.8° to Mars’ upper left.  The planets appear close together after yesterday’s conjunction.  Venus steps eastward faster than Mars.  The gap between them widens each morning.  They are in the same binocular field until March 8th, but with Venus closing in on its superior conjunction, the observation of them together occurs in brighter morning twilight, making dimmer Mars more difficult to see.

In five days, Mercury is at superior conjunction on the sun’s far side with the sun between Mercury and Earth.  The speedy planet moves into the evening sky for its best appearance of the year for northern hemisphere sky watchers. On March 24th, Mercury stands about 10° above the western horizon during evening twilight.

Evening Sky

Saturn is moving toward its solar conjunction on the 28th, the same day as Mercury’s superior conjunction.  It moves into the eastern morning sky.  Mars passes the Ringed Wonder on April 10th.

Jupiter

2024, February 23: After nightfall, bright Jupiter is in the west-southwest.
Chart Caption – 2024, February 23: After nightfall, bright Jupiter is in the west-southwest.

Bright Jupiter is about halfway up in the west-southwest after sundown.  It is the brightest starlike body in the sky this evening. 

The Jovian Giant is moving eastward compared to Aries, 11.1° to the lower left of Hamal, the Ram’s brightest star, and 12.4° to the upper right of Menkar, Cetus’ nostril.  Jupiter’s slow eastward motion carries it between the two stars in four evenings.

Jupiter sets in the west-northwest before midnight.

Night of the Snow Moon, Smallest Full Moon of the Year

Night of the Snow Moon Smallest Full moon of the year
Chart Caption – 2024, February 23: The Snow moon is in the east with Regulus after sundown.

This is the night of the Snow Moon, February’s Full phase, occurring at 6:30 a.m. CST tomorrow. This evening at one hour after sundown, the moon is less than 20° above the eastern horizon and 3.0° to the upper left of Regulus.  Notice the distance the moon traveled compared to Regulus since this morning’s appearance.

Dress warmly and take a winter walk under the Snow Moon’s light.

The moon is south near midnight.  By tomorrow morning it is again in the western sky, over 15° to the upper left of Regulus.

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