Baton Rouge Reporter

This February 12th, the Moon will be positioned on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun, resulting in its face being fully illuminated. This full moon phase will occur at 13:55 UTC (7:55 AM Central Time). Early Native American tribes referred to this full moon as the Snow Moon due to the heavy snowfall typically experienced during this time of year.

According to data from the National Weather Service, February is generally the snowiest month in the United States. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver noted that during his visit with the Naudowessie (Dakota), they called this period the Snow Moon "because more snow commonly falls during this month than any other in the winter."

The harsh weather conditions made hunting challenging, leading some tribes to also refer to it as the Hunger Moon.

Names for this month's Moon often have connections to animals. The Cree traditionally called it Bald Eagle Moon or Eagle Moon. The Ojibwe Bear Moon and Tlingit Black Bear Moon signify when bear cubs are born. The Dakota call it Raccoon Moon; certain Algonquin peoples named it Groundhog Moon, and for the Haida, it's known as Goose Moon.

Another theme associated with this month's moon names is scarcity. The Cherokee terms Month of the Bony Moon and Hungry Moon highlight how food was scarce during this period.