Jan. 28 marks the Lunar New Year, beginning the Year of the Snake. It's not the only lunar festival — Ramadan begins Feb. 28, Passover on April 12 and Easter on April 20.

For skywatchers, the Lunar New Year lines up perfectly with the new moon. According to NASA, the new moon becomes official at 7:36 a.m. Wednesday when it passes between the Earth and the Sun.

Celebrated across Asia and beyond, it marks the start of a new year based on the cycles of the moon rather than the Gregorian calendar, when the majority of the United States and