The Full Snow Moon: February's Moon Guide

Here are highlights of the February 2013 Moon! The Almanac's monthly Moon guide keeps you informed about full Moon names, Moon phase dates, and Best Days by the Moon.

Full Moon Names

February's full Moon is traditionally called the Full Snow Moon because usually the heaviest snows fall in February.

Hunting becomes very difficult, and so some Native American tribes called this the Hunger Moon.

Other Native American tribes called this Moon the "Shoulder to Shoulder Around the Fire Moon" (Wishram Native Americans), the "No Snow in the Trails Moon" (Zuni Native Americans), and the "Bone Moon" (Cherokee Native Americans). The Bone Moon meant that there was so little food that people gnawed on bones and ate bone marrow soup.

See more about the month's Full Moon names and their meanings.

2013 Moon Phase Dates

All dates and times are ET. See the Moon Phase Calendar for your city/state.

	Last Quarter: February 3, 8:57 A.M.
	New Moon: February 10, 2:21 A.M.
	First Quarter: February 17,3:31 P.M.
	Full Moon: February 25, 3:27 P.M.

For your next full Moon, see our Full Moon Dates chart.

Full Moon Video

Each month, we will explain the traditional names of the full Moon along with some fascinating Moon facts. In this video, learn about the Full Snow Moon. Click below to watch video.

Best Days in February 2013

Below are the best days for activities, based on the Moon's sign and phase in February.

For Planting:

• Aboveground crops: 11, 12, 20, 21
• Belowground crops: 2, 3, 26

For Setting Eggs:

• 1, 18, 27, 28

For Fishing:

• 10–25

February 2013 Moon Fact and Folklore

• The Moon rises below Saturn, soon after midnight, on the 3rd; the pair remains well placed until dawn.
• The Moon hovers to the right of Jupiter, now slightly fading to magnitude –2.4, on the 17th. On the 18th, the Moon sits to the left of Jupiter.
• The Moon passes very close to Virgo’s bright blue star Spica on the 28th. The pair rises at around 10:00 P.M. and is nicely clear of obstructions after 11:00 P.M.
• Wolves have howled at the Moon for centuries, yet it is still there.
• And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,they danced by the light of the Moon.
  —Edward Lear, English poet (1812-88)

Share your thoughts about this month's moon below!