"Snow moon" 2019 will be this year's brightest "supermoon"
By Eric Mack
/ CNET
Another supermoon is set to grace the celestial stage Tuesday evening, and it's the largest and brightest our natural satellite will appear all year.
We get a supermoon when the moon is full or nearly full and also at its closest point to Earth along its slightly elliptical orbit. This close approach is called perigee by astronomers. In 2019, there are three supermoons and they fall in the first three months of the year.
You may recall in January we had the spectacle of the "super blood wolf moon" in which a lunar eclipse or "blood moon" coincided with a supermoon and the first full moon of the calendar year, traditionally called the wolf moon.
Tuesday evening will bring the "super snow moon." Due to a number of nuances in the interactions between the sun, Earth and moon, the distance between us and and each supermoon varies a bit. It just so happens that this week's perigee will be about 362 miles closer to us than last month's supermoon, according to NASA.
You'd need to have a remarkably trained eye to notice the difference between each supermoon. It's hard enough to even see the difference between a regular full moon and a supermoon, which only appears up to 14 percent larger in the sky and maybe 30 percent brighter.
If you really want to be wowed, your best bet is to check out the full moon when it rises in the east as the sun is setting in the west. This is when it will appear to be biggest, although this is mostly due to an optical illusion.
This happens when the moon is close to the horizon and there are objects such as trees or buildings within our line of sight, NASA astronomer Mitzi Adams explains. "Because these relatively close objects are in front of the moon, our brain is tricked into thinking the moon is much closer to the objects that are in our line of sight," Adams says.
Adams adds that you can check the effect by holding a coin at arm's length so it covers the moon. Do this at moonrise when the moon appears huge on the horizon and later when it looks smaller high in the sky and you'll see that the same size coin covers the moon the whole night.
It should be obvious why a February full moon is traditionally called a "snow moon" in the United States. The second calendar month is historically more filled with fluffy white precipitation than any other.
This also means the super snow moon has a better chance of being blocked from view by, well … snowfall. If that happens, there's still the third and final supermoon of 2019, which comes in exactly four weeks, on March 19.
This article first appeared in CNET
First published on February 19, 2019
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
Eric Mack
Crave freelancer Eric Mack is a writer, radio producer, and podcaster based in Taos, N.M., but he lives in Google+. He's also managing editor of Crowdsourcing.org and has written e-books on both Alaska and Android. E-mail Eric.
Twitter 
Bernie Sanders announces he's running for president in 2020
The longtime independent senator from Vermont told "CBS This Morning" he's running for president again in 2020
updated 0M ago 
Rod Rosenstein will be leaving Justice Department next month
The deputy attorney general was expected to leave his post after the new attorney general was confirmed, and William Barr is now in place
updated 18M ago 
West Virginia teachers going on strike again
First walkout set off nationwide "Red4Ed" movement that included strikes in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arizona, Washington state, L.A. and Denver
1H ago 
Drama: People in gondolas over bay at SeaWorld San Diego rescued
It took roughly four hours; the park blamed an "unusual gust of significant wind" for the problem with its Bayside Skyride
3H ago 
4 dead, including children, in western Michigan shooting
Officials in Kent County, Michigan, say they are not searching for a suspect in the shooting at a home Monday
7H ago
Bernie Sanders announces he's running for president in 2020
The longtime independent senator from Vermont told "CBS This Morning" he's running for president again in 2020
updated 0M ago
Rod Rosenstein will be leaving Justice Department next month
The deputy attorney general was expected to leave his post after the new attorney general was confirmed, and William Barr is now in place
updated 18M ago 
Roger Stone apologizes for Instagram post
Former longtime Trump adviser told CBS News someone who works for him posted the image
8H ago 
16 states sue Trump over emergency declaration for border wall
Bypassing Congress, President Trump declared a national emergency last week to access billions of dollars in funds to construct a border wall
9H ago 
GOP candidate wants to be called "Trump!" on ballot
Carl Nett, a Republican candidate for Kentucky secretary of state, said "Trump!" was his "bona fide nickname"
9H ago 
Americans, reportedly heavily armed, detained amid Haiti unrest
Reports in local media say 5 U.S. nationals held after group of 8 people found near national bank with unlicensed weapons
updated 33M ago 
Vatican hopes sexual abuse summit will be a turning point
Organizers of an extraordinary summit said they hope it will mark a "turning point" in the Catholic church's approach to clergy sex abuse
11H ago 
Trump declares U.S. will never be socialist like Venezuela
The president says all options are on the table in Venezuela
12H ago 
Black snow falls from the sky in Siberia, and it's toxic
A pall of eerie black snow covered several towns in the Siberian region of Kuzbass, home to 2.6 million people and one of the world's largest coal fields
18H ago 
Preserving the sounds of rare Stradivarius violins
In Cremona, Italy, the birthplace of Antonio Stradivari, an ambitious recording project aims to immortalize some of the finest musical instruments ever made
19H ago 
Brothers questioned in Jussie Smollett case speak out
Ola and Abel Osundairo went from persons of interest in the case to potential suspects to being released without charges
14H ago 
21 Savage on his immigration case: "I'm not leaving without a fight"
The rapper opened up about his time in ICE custody and how his uncertain immigration status shaped him into the man he is today
15H ago
Preserving the sounds of rare Stradivarius violins
In Cremona, Italy, the birthplace of Antonio Stradivari, an ambitious recording project aims to immortalize some of the finest musical instruments ever made
19H ago 
Jussie Smollett: Timeline of alleged hate crime on "Empire" actor
The alleged attack of "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett has sprawled into a three-week saga of confusing reports and contradictions
15H ago 
NYPD investigating commander accused of telling officers to shoot 50 Cent
"The matter is under internal review," the NYPD spokesperson told CBS News
Feb 17 
"Snow moon" 2019 will be this year's brightest "supermoon"
All 3 of this year's supermoons fall between January and March; here's how to get the best views of this one
updated 1M ago 
Misinformation online helps fuel measles outbreak
Tech companies like Facebook and Google are being criticized for the role false medical information may have played in the ongoing measles outbreak in the Pacific Northwest
17H ago 
Amazon wants half of shipments to be carbon neutral by 2030
Ecommerce giant has faced criticism for not doing enough in the fight against climate change
9H ago
Black snow falls from the sky in Siberia, and it's toxic
A pall of eerie black snow covered several towns in the Siberian region of Kuzbass, home to 2.6 million people and one of the world's largest coal fields
18H ago 
Twitter, Snap CEOs to be invited to international "fake news" hearing
They're on a list that includes a dozen of the world's most powerful tech leaders, including Apple's Tim Cook, and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg
19H ago 
Mediation program helps patients fight surprise medical bills
In 2018, the Austin, Texas, program negotiated $9.7 million worth of bills, saving patients $8.4 million in medical expenses
9H ago 
Can weighted blankets really help you sleep better?
Weighted blankets have become popular, but do they really deliver on their promise of reducing stress and helping you sleep?
14H ago
Misinformation online helps fuel measles outbreak
Tech companies like Facebook and Google are being criticized for the role false medical information may have played in the ongoing measles outbreak in the Pacific Northwest
17H ago 
More sickened from salmonella linked to turkey
Since the outbreak began, more than 100 people have been hospitalized
18H ago 
FDA approves device to treat heart defect in tiniest babies
Smaller than a pea, the device from Abbott can be implanted in premature babies weighing as little as 2 pounds
Feb 15 
After Amazon's HQ2 hunt, some states target corporate tax breaks
The retail behemoth has sparked a backlash against the kind of deal secured from New York before dumping it
13H ago 
How CVS is becoming a full-service health care provider
In addition to in-store clinics, it's testing much broader "HealthHUB" stores as it integrates its Aetna purchase
15H ago
Amazon wants half of shipments to be carbon neutral by 2030
Ecommerce giant has faced criticism for not doing enough in the fight against climate change
9H ago 
Carmakers warn tariffs would drive up vehicle prices
Auto industry groups up in arms over a confidential Commerce Department report to President Trump
16H ago
Twitter, Snap CEOs to be invited to international "fake news" hearing
They're on a list that includes a dozen of the world's most powerful tech leaders, including Apple's Tim Cook, and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg
19H ago 
4 dead, including children, in western Michigan shooting
Officials in Kent County, Michigan, say they are not searching for a suspect in the shooting at a home Monday
7H ago
Vatican hopes sexual abuse summit will be a turning point
Organizers of an extraordinary summit said they hope it will mark a "turning point" in the Catholic church's approach to clergy sex abuse
11H ago 
Illinois "honor system" in question after deadly workplace shooting
Aurora's police chief says Gary Martin shouldn't have had the gun he allegedly used to kill five of his colleagues Friday
11H ago
Brothers questioned in Jussie Smollett case speak out
Ola and Abel Osundairo went from persons of interest in the case to potential suspects to being released without charges
14H ago 
DNA leads to arrest in 1993 murder of woman found in dorm bathtub
Investigators in Alaska used genetic genealogy – the same technique used to ID the Golden State Killer suspect
12H ago
