The second full moon of 2026 is just around the corner – not a supermoon, but still very special: What this means and when it will reach its peak in Berlin!
After three supermoons in a row, it's now over – but the February full moon still awaits you with a beautiful view over Berlin.
The first full moon of a total of thirteen in 2026 already took place in the first week of January. Now it’s time for the second, and as we have seen in recent months, each of these has been a supermoon that came particularly close to Earth and therefore appeared exceptionally bright and large. The so-called Snow Moon, which we expect on Sunday, February 1, 2026, interrupts this series of supermoons – that’s the end of it for now, because the next phase doesn’t begin again until December 24, 2026. But that doesn’t mean that the coming moons will be any less spectacular: since the sun is low in the sky in winter and the nights are longer, the upcoming full moon will also appear particularly bright in the sky.
Photo: Getty Images
The Snow Moon will reach its full phase on February 1, 2026. In Berlin, it will reach its maximum brightness late in the evening, at 11:09 p.m. CET to be precise. At this point, the moon will be in the zodiac sign of Cancer and can often be seen near the Beehive Cluster, one of the most beautiful open star clusters in the sky. So if the weather cooperates and the currently quite dense air clears up a bit, the Snow Moon will be able to unfold its full effect over the capital. For a better view, it is therefore not necessarily the city center that is recommended, but rather parks or the outskirts of the city – such as the Tiergarten or the banks of the Havel River. The moon will then remain visible in the sky until the early hours of the morning.
Photo: Getty Images
The name “Snow Moon” comes from traditional North American moon names based on ancient observations of the seasons. It refers to the full moon in February, which is often accompanied by heavy snowfall and wintry conditions. Other traditional names include “Hunger Moon,” “Ice Moon,” and “Storm Moon.” This full moon is part of the regular monthly lunar cycle, in which the moon becomes full approximately every 29.5 days when it is directly opposite the sun.
This full moon is followed on February 17 by the new moon, which is associated with two special events: First, this date coincides with the Chinese New Year, whose celebrations continue until the next full moon on March 3. Second, a ring-shaped solar eclipse will occur on the day of the new moon—a spectacular spectacle that will only be visible in Antarctica.
