Stargazers and sky watchers are definitely in for quite a treat as they can all expect to see a full moon, an eclipse and a comet this Friday night. There is a certain kind of rarity in this certain event because not all can experience three special events happening within a single day so it's definitely worth the attention.
The first act of the night that people can expect is the full moon and in fact, it already is occurring as the moon continues to near its fullest phase. According to TIME, the moon is expected to reach its peak roundness at about 7:33 pm EST. This February, the full moon is named as the "snow moon" which is quite the coincidence since February is also known as the snowiest month in the US. But full moon names originate from the Native American tribes who lived in the Northern and Eastern parts of the US. These tribes had a habit of naming each full moon. As reported by USA TODAY, some tribes call the February full moon as the "hunger moon" since the cold conditions made it difficult for them to hunt.
Just after the full moon reaches its peak, you can expect to see a "penumbral" lunar eclipse when the moon moves into the outer part of Earth's penumbra, which is also more commonly known as the shadow. While it may not be as impressive or even as noticeable as a full lunar eclipse, it definitely is still worth the watch as it happens around 7:43 pm EST. People living in North and South America, Western Asia, Europe and Africa will be able to witness this penumbral lunar eclipse.
A few hours after the eclipse, people may get the chance to glimpse upon an old comet making its timely return. Comet 45P or Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusáková has already been visible during the past two months if you look through a telescope but tonight, the comet will be making its closest approach to Earth. So make sure to grab your telescopes and binoculars and point them towards the constellation Hercules so that you would be able to catch a glimpse of that glowing green orb of ice.
