This Wednesday, February 16, there is a full moon. But it is not just any moon: it is the brightest moon of the year, according to the National Geographic Institute.
The full moon of February will arrive on Wednesday, February 16 at 5:57 p.m. (one hour less in the Canary Islands) and will be visible throughout Spain . It will rise, approximately, with the sunset, and it will set just with the advent of sunrise. On the same day, Mercury reaches its greatest distance west of the sun, making it a bright “morning star” but difficult to observe at mid-northern latitudes.
The best views will be obtained when the Sun has already set, at night. To see the intricate details of the Moon’s surface while stargazing, you’ll need to give your eyes some time to adjust to the lower lights and, if possible, turn off or move away from all artificial light sources . If you also have a small telescope or a pair of binoculars, you will be able to see some of the most outstanding features of its surface.
Although the best day to see this full moon is Wednesday, February 16, the next day, Thursday 17, it will be almost as bright, with 99.7% illumination, an imperceptible change for our eyes.
Why does the full moon occur?
A full moon occurs when the moon is exactly on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. Since it depends on the position of the moon, rather than the position of the observer, when the moon is full depends on the time zone of each person. In Madrid, the full moon occurs at 5:57 pm, and in Melbourne, Australia, for example, the full moon occurs at 3:57 am on February 17.
Although it will provide a dazzling sight, Wednesday night’s moon won’t be as bright as 2020’s full snow moon , since it coincided with a supermoon. Therefore, it is the brightest moon of the year but not a supermoon. The next supermoon, that is, the largest full moon of the year, in which it can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than normal, when seen from Earth, will take place on July 13 .
