Stunning images show a full Snow Moon in all its glowing glory over Wakefield

The Snow Moon was spotted at the weekend and captured by many photographers, including these stunning images from Sue Billcliffe.

It appeared in the early hours of Saturday 27 February and was a spectacularly bright moon for those lucky enough to see it.

What is a Snow Moon?

The majority of pre-modern calendars used the moon as the basis for the names of their months, a convention ended by the introduction of the solar Julian and Gregorian calendars.

In modern times, the moons have developed new names, the majority of which have roots attributed to Native American traditions. They tend to hold particular resonance with the time of year in which they fall, and have gained ground in American folklore in recent years.

It’s thought these names are "Colonial American", and were adopted from the Algonquian languages of the native peoples who lived in the area of the country, which is now New England.

The name 'Snow Moon' is applied to the full moon of February, simply because that is the month in which the seasonal weather is most common.

It is also known as a 'hunger moon' or 'storm moon' reflected again by the traits of the long, cold, stormy winter months.