A plane taking off from Ronald Reagan National Airport is seen passing in front of the Moon as it ascends.
NASA / Bill Ingalls
A fantastic evening program can be seen everywhere on earth with a clear sky on Thursday, although the backgrounds will of course vary. No matter where you are, you need to be able to watch the sunset and then turn around to watch the first full moon of 2021, nicknamed the Wolf Moon in North America, at the same time.
The moon will also be full the next few nights, but only on Thursday night can you see the spectacle of that great full moon rising over the horizon just as the sun sets.
It is not really clear why this mid-winter moon is named after a wild animal, although some suspect that it may be traced back to traditional Native American and European methods of keeping track of time. As NASA has pointed out, this full moon is also observed elsewhere than the Candles Moon, the Thaipusam Festival Moon, the Ananda Pagoda Festival Moon and the Full Moon of Tu B’Shevat, among others.
Astronomically speaking, the moment the moon is full – across from the sun – will come at 11:16 on Thursday. But obviously our satellite at that time would not be observable from many places. Luckily, anyone can just plan to step outside at sunset to catch up on the show.
As soon as dusk fades and is illuminated by that moon at night, Mars must also be visible high in the sky in the south-southwest. Orient yourself to look the direction in the eyes and then look almost directly over the top, it should be the brightest object you see.
But no heavenly face is easier to take in than a glorious full moon. This is also the best thing for even amateurs to photograph. If you get a good chance, please share it with me @EricCMack.
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