The first full moon of the year will illuminate the night sky on Thursday, January 28, 2021. But you do not have to wait until the middle of the night to see it – the full “Wolf Moon” moon reaches a peak illumination in the afternoon.
Why is it called the Wolf Moon?
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, January’s full moon is often referred to as the ‘wolf moon’ as a reference to wolves that cried at night earlier in the year, although it remains unclear if the name originated from a Native American tribe. , as moon names usually do.
There are a large number of other names used to describe this month’s moon, including Candles Moon, Snow Moon, Hunger Moon, Center Moon, Cold Moon, Frost Exploding Moon, Freeze Up Moon, Severe Moon and Hard Moon, amongst other things.
“From what I learned about traditional names given to full moons before the introduction of modern timing, local leaders would usually decide on the name of the moon based on the circumstances at the time. These cultures usually do not need calendars that have exact dates. do not specify. far ahead, “Gordon Johnson of NASA said this week, explaining the large number of names. “Full moon names were used to describe and remember what happened in the past and to remind of what was likely to come in the near future. There are also many different Native American names for the full moons.”
Wassilios Aswestopoulos / NurPhoto via Getty Images
When to track down the Wolf Moon
Under clear conditions, the full Wolf Moon will be visible from 14:16 ET. It will continue to shine brightly all night, visible as soon as it rises above the horizon around sunset.
To see the best views of the moon, look up your local moonrise and sunset time and find a clear place to take in a great view of the sky. Do not worry if you miss it on Thursday – the moon will appear full for a few days until early Saturday morning.
Skywatching in 2021 may not be as dramatic as last year COMET NEOWISE or Great addition, but it does promise some spectacular moons. Unlike 2020, with 13 full moons, 2021 will have the typical 12 full moons:
- February 27: Snow Moon
- March 28: Wurmmaan
- April 26: Pink Moon
- May 26: Flower Moon
- June 24: Strawberry
- July 23: Buck moon
- August 22: Storm Moon
- September 20: Oesmaan
- October 20: Hunter’s moon
- November 19: Beaver moon
- December 18: Cold moon