USA Today is touting it as a Triple Treat.

Weather.com saidstargazers are in for a spectacular celestial show Friday night.

But the hype for to nights full moon, penumbral eclipse and passing of a small comet left Chuck Dibbs and other South Hampton Roads astronomy buffs scratching their heads.

When I started here 17 years ago I used to promote things like this, said Dibbs, the director of the Virginia Beach Schools Planetarium. Then people would come and complain to me that they didnt see anything and didnt understand what the big deal was.

This is seriously a nonevent.

Leigh Anne Lagoe, vice president of Back Bay Amateur Astronomers, found herself confused when a neighbor told her how excited she was about todays event.

I had no idea what she was talking about, Lagoe said. I had to Google it and saw all this hype.

The club wont be going out for this one, she said.

The expectations for today begin with the full moon what some media are calling a snow moon.

Theyre giving it a catchy name because its a full moon in February, the month when we get the most snow, Dibbs said. Like we wont ever have another full moon. Believe me, we will.

Then theres the penumbral eclipse, when the full moon darkens as it passes through the earths shadow . The moons journey to night, however, takes it through a very narrow portion of the shadow. The full moon will darken somewhat, Dibbs said, but not dramatically like the full eclipse that will come in August.

Most people wont even be able to notice the difference, Dibbs said.

And the comet? Comet 45P, known to astronomers as Comet Honda Mrkos Pajdusakova, was discovered in 1948 and will make its closest approach to Earth this weekend.

Youre going to need a good pair of high-powered binoculars to see it, and you wont see much, Dibbs said.

While the eclipse will peak at 7:43 tonight, the comet wont until around 3 a.m. Saturday.

Its just going to be a fuzzy patch in the sky, Lagoe said. Its not very impressive. Besides, with a full moon out, you wont be able to see much of anything anyway.

Plus, theres the weather.

According to the National Weather Service, skies will be partly cloudy and will become mostly overcast as the night goes on. So those looking for a triple treat to night might be better off seeking something else like a hot fudge, ice cream and brownie sundae.

The rest is here:

Big celestial event Friday? Local astronomers say it's more media ... - Virginian-Pilot