Snow Moon to light Ontario skies in February

The Full Snow Moon will reach peak illumination on Feb. 1 at 5:09 p.m. EST, and a rare parade of six planets is expected in the evening sky on Feb. 28.

Ontario's night sky will feature a full Snow Moon and a rare planetary parade in February. The Old Farmer's Almanac reports the Snow Moon will reach peak illumination at 5:09 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 1. That peak occurs near sunset, and the full moon will be visible rising in the eastern sky after dusk. NASA reports that on Feb. 28 six planets will appear shortly after sunset. Key details: - Full Snow Moon peak: Feb. 1 at 5:09 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. - The full moon will be visible rising in the eastern sky after dusk despite the peak occurring near sunset. - The Snow Moon name comes from long-standing lunar naming traditions used by Indigenous peoples, early settlers, and European sources. - Several Indigenous names for February's moon are reported, including the Cree Eagle Moon, the Ojibwe Bear Moon, the Dakota Raccoon Moon, some Algonquin Groundhog Moon traditions, and the Cherokee Hungry Moon. - Lunar phase schedule for February 2026 (all times EST): Last Quarter Feb. 9 at 7:43 a.m.; New Moon Feb. 17 at 7:01 a.m.; First Quarter Feb. 24 at 7:27 a.m. - Planetary parade on Feb. 28 will include Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune shortly after sunset; Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are reported as visible to the naked eye, Uranus and Neptune will require binoculars or a telescope, and Mercury may be harder to see because it sits low on the horizon. Summary: The Snow Moon will peak on Feb. 1 and will be visible rising after dusk in Ontario. The next notable sky event is a six-planet alignment expected on Feb. 28, with differing visibility for the planets mentioned.