Skygazers are enjoying the spectacular February full moon, or snow moon, this weekend.
The Snow Moon is one of the largest full moons of 2020 and will light up the sky on Saturday and Sunday.
The almost full Snow Moon sets beside the Statue of Liberty before sunrise on February 8, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
In New York City, photographers brazed the cold on the waterfront at Red Hook, Brooklyn, early Saturday morning to capture images of the almost-full moon behind the Statue of Liberty.
The February full moon will reach its peak at 2:33 a.m. ET on Sunday, according to NASA.
“For the best view of this Moon, look for it on the night of Saturday, February 8; it will rise in the east and reach its highest point in the sky around midnight,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
'SUPER SNOW MOON' STUNS AS THE BIGGEST SUPERMOON OF 2019 LIGHTS UP THE SKY
The full moon lights up the sky over the Moscow Kremlin waterfront, Spasskaya Tower, St Basil's Cathedral, on Feb. 8, 2020. (Photo by Marina Lystseva/TASS via Getty Images)
The full moon is the fourth-largest of 2020, according to EarthSky.
Some experts also describe the full moon as a supermoon, although others feel that it does not qualify as that category of celestial event. Supermoons happen when the moon’s elliptical orbit brings it to the closest point to Earth while the moon is full. The phrase was coined in 1979, NASA said.
FEBRUARY SKY: NASA’S TOP TIPS FOR SKYWATCHERS
The moon rises behind the ancient Acropolis hill with the 500 BC Parthenon temple in Athens, on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
The February full moon played an important role in Native American culture.
“As the midwinter moon or the second full moon of winter, the Native American tribes of what is now the northern and eastern United States called this the Snow Moon or the Hunger Moon,” NASA said. “It was known as the Snow Moon because of the heavy snows that fall in this season.”
Full Snow Moon rises over the Empire State Building in New York City, United States on February 8, 2020. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The almost full Snow moon sets beside the Statue of Liberty, photographed from Red Hook, Brooklyn on the morning of Feb. 8, 2020. (James Rogers/Fox News)
Last February's full moon, dubbed the “super snow moon,” was the largest supermoon of 2019.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Get a daily look at what’s developing in science and technology throughout the world.