Spectacular Snow Moon captured by Evening News reader atop city landmark

An Evening News reader has managed to capture an incredible photo of February’s full moon with some Edinburgh landmarks in shot.

What an amazing shot. Picture: Louis Arnold

Louis Arnold snapped the photo of the bright Snow Moon in a clear sky at sunset on Friday from George Street which looks as if it is sitting on top of the spiral at the new W Hotel at St James Quarter.

Also featured in the image is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks, the Melville Monument and the historical Dundas House.

The term 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.

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 is 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 Snow Moon was at its official peak at 8.17am on Saturday, February 27.

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