A perigree full moon, or supermoon, is seen Sunday, August 10, 2014, in Washington. A supermoon occurs when the moon's orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time it's full.
NASA/Bill Ingalls
A super blood wolf moon eclipse occurs behind the Bank of America Center building in downtown Houston, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019. The moon was fully covered by the Earth's shadow over Houston around 10:30 p.m. Sunday night.Mark Mulligan/Staff photographer
The supermoon rises behind St. Paul's Cathedral in London.CBSI/CNET
Supermoon photography isn't as glorious as it might seem. This shot by Justin Qian of Singapore shows how it's done.CBSI/CNET
The supermoon seen mid-eclipse from Singapore by photographer Justin Qian.CBSI/CNET
Photographer Mark Hollander captured the supermoon peeking through clouds over Australia.CBSI/CNET
The moon rises over the Giralda, the tower of Seville's Cathedral, on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, in Spain. Tuesday night's full moon, also known as a Harvest Moon, will be the third and final "supermoon" of 2014. The phenomenon, which scientists call a "perigee moon," occurs when the moon is near the horizon and appears larger and brighter than other full moons. (AP Photo/Miguel Angel Morenatti)
Miguel Angel Morenatti / ASSOCIATED PRESS
The supermoon rises over a 737 MAX airplane at Boein-g's plant in Renton, Wash., March 20, 2019. In the wake of the two deadly crashes involving the same jet model, Boeing will make one of two safety features, both originally sold as extras, standard as part of a fix to get the planes in the air again. (Ruth Fremson/The New York Times)RUTH FREMSON
The Supermoon behind the Golden Gate Bridge by @telephototim
Instagram / telephototim
@brianfeulner photographed the Supermoon rising over the East Bay.
Instagram / brianfeulner
Dancing to the Supermoon in San Francisco by @liewdesign.
Instagram / liewdesign
The Supermoon over Pleasanton by @lopusnak.
Instagram / lopusnak
Rain or shine, Mother Nature is going to light up the sky this weekend with the first supermoon of 2020.
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According to NASA, "The moon will be completely full on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2:33 a.m. ET, but will appear full all weekend, from about Friday evening to Monday morning."
Because it's in February, this particular supermoon is also called the snow moon. Other names for it include storm moon, hunger moon, Chinese Lantern Festival moon, and the full moon of Tu B'Shevat.
The term “supermoon” was coined in 1979 and is often used today to describe what astronomers would call a perigean (pear-ih-jee-un) full moon: a full moon occurring near or at the time when the moon is at its closest point in its orbit around Earth. Because of this setup, these moons appear slightly brighter and larger than a regular full moon, making them popular with photographers and night-gazers alike.
Looking ahead, the next full moon will also be a supermoon, and will occur in a month, on March 9.
Of course, viewing conditions this weekend will depend on the weather.
Here's to hoping the skies over the Emerald City finally clear up and give us a view.
