The full “snow moon” rose over Washington, D.C., last night, glowing behind a thin veil of clouds. The moon came above the horizon at 6:02 p.m., after reaching fullness at 1:20 p.m. Monday.
As we wrote yesterday, naming full moons is a Native American tradition. This month’s full moon is the “snow moon” because it tends to be the coldest, snowiest month of the year. Individual tribes have their own names for each full moon moon. For example, the Comanche call the February moon the “sleet moon,” and the Lakota call it “the moon when the trees crack because of the cold.”
Thanks to everyone who shared photos of the snow moon with us on Flickr,Twitter and Facebook! If you haven’t yet — follow us on Instagram, we’re featuring a lot of great photography there!