Celebration of Space - January 30, 2026
The Full Snow Moon of February will occur on Sunday, February 1, 2026
This coming Sunday, February 1, 2016 at 6:11 pm EST, the Moon will arrive at the point in its orbit where Earth is in between the Moon and Sun. We call this “opposition”, but is more commonly known as the full Moon. Being that the Moon is on the opposite side of Earth than the Sun, the side of the Moon that we see will be in full direct sunlight. The Moon will rise with the setting Sun, and set with the rising Sun during the full phase, keeping the bright Moon above the horizon for the entire nighttime period.
The February full Moon carries the moniker: The Full Snow Moon, which is due to the frequency of snowfall during the month of February. According to the National Weather Service, February is the snowiest month on average in the United States. For all of us in Southern New England, this moniker is certainly appropriate this year. Take a moment to step outside on Sunday evening and look to the east to catch a view of the Full Snow Moon rising.
On Monday, February 2, 2026, Groundhog Day will happen. Aside from all the weather predicting by furry critters, there is an astronomical significance to the day. Groundhog Day is one of the four cross-quarter days of the year. Cross-quarter days mark the halfway point between the solstice and equinox. Monday will mark the midpoint of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The Vernal Equinox will occur on March 20, 2026 ET, and will mark the first day of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere. Other cross quarter days of the year include May Day in May, Lammas in August, and Halloween in October. So take a bit of solace that the winter is coming to a close, and springtime blooms are on their way.
This coming Monday, February 2, 2026, a fantastic lunar occultation is taking place, this time involving the bright star, Regulus. A lunar occultation occurs when the Moon passes in between Earth and a much further object. Any object that resides with 5º of the ecliptic is an occultation candidate. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and is in the top 20 brightest stars in the night sky. The occultation will begin at 8:53 pm EST when Regulus will slowly disappear behind the southwest edge of the Moon. At 9:51 pm EST, Regulus will re-emerge on the eastern side of the Moon. Since this is happening during a full Moon, it may be a little difficult to spot Regulus along the edge of the Moon with the naked eye, though a telescope or binoculars will show a fabulous view. Even though Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center will not be hosting an onsite event for this occultation, we may live stream the occultation from a telescope fitted with a camera. This is, of course, weather depending. Check in on our YouTube channel later this weekend for an update.
Save the Date: On March 3, 2026, during the early morning hours, a total lunar eclipse is taking place. Even though the US East Coast is not optimally placed for viewing, we will get a stunning view of the first half of the eclipse, with the Moon setting during the total eclipse stage.
Lunar eclipses happen due to the Moon orbiting Earth within 5.1º of the ecliptic, which is the path the Sun takes across the sky and represents the plane of the Solar System. During the Moon’s 29.5 day synodic period (complete phase cycle) the Moon will orbit across the ecliptic. If this occurs during the full lunar phase, then the Moon will enter Earth’s shadow creating a lunar eclipse. Depending on how close the Moon is to the ecliptic will determine if the eclipse is a total eclipse, partial eclipse, or just a penumbral eclipse – where the Moon only enters Earth’s secondary shadow, called the Penumbra.
The March 3rd eclipse will start at 3:44 am EST with the total eclipse starting at 6:04 am EST and sunrise occurring at 6:17 am EST. Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center will be open for this event, weather permitting. Our event starts at 3:00 am and goes until sunrise. Take a moment to read up on the event, and keep your fingers crossed for clear sky conditions!
After a couple weeks of evening passes of the International Space Station (ISS), the orbiting residence is about to disappear from the evening sky for a little over a month’s time. This happens due to the ISS orbiting Earth at 51º inclined to the equator. It doesn’t mean that the ISS won’t pass over us during this time period, but instead that the station will not pass over anytime at night while it is in direct sunlight. When we observe a satellite passing over at night, we see sunlight reflecting off of the satellite. Once the satellite drops into Earth’s shadow, we will lose sight of the object. A short period with no daily visible passes will start on February 3rd and will continue until February 11th, when visible passes return to the morning predawn sky. Here are the final evening passes of the ISS for this viewing cycle:
Fri, Jan 30 at 6:21 pm, starting in the WNW, rising to 25º, heading towards the S
Sat, Jan 31 at 5:34 pm, starting in the WNW, rising to 41º, heading towards the SSE
Mon, Feb 2 at 5:38 pm, starting in the W, rising to 14º, heading towards the SSW
Set your alarms and mark your calendars. Step outside and brave the frigid New England temps to catch a view of humanity’s only continuously inhabited space-based residence orbiting over.
