A FULL Wolf Moon will take to the night sky next week.

The Wolf Moon will be shining on January 28 although it will still look big and bright for two or three nights around this date.

A Full Wolf Moon from a previous year rising over Glastonbury Tor

2

A Full Wolf Moon from a previous year rising over Glastonbury TorCredit: Splash News

It will be the first full Moon of 2021.

Full moons happen when the Moon is situated on the opposite side of Earth to the Sun, which means its face can be fully illuminated.

The name Full Wolf Moon is associated with early Native American tribes who observed hungry wolves howling outside their camps around the same time of year as this phenomenon.

The lunar event is also referred to as the Moon After Yule and the Old Moon.

The Moon will look big for a few days around its official full Moon stage

2

The Moon will look big for a few days around its official full Moon stageCredit: Reuters

How to spot the Full Wolf Moon

To spot the Wolf Moon at its fullest you should look for it on January 28.

It should be visible in an easterly direction from late afternoon/early evening and will continue to rise throughout the night.

In the UK you should look around 7pm but viewers in the US should look earlier in the afternoon around 3pm ET.

As it gets higher it will appear smaller.

Earlier risers can look for the Wolf Moon on the morning of January 29.

Just before sunrise it will be low on the western horizon.

However, the Moon will be looking big and bright from around January 27 to 29 so if it’s very cloudy one evening you can always look again.

The different types of moons

Here are some of the most interesting moon phases and when to see them…

A Blue Moon refers to the occasion when a full Moon appears for the second time in the same month, this is very rare.

The Harvest Moon appears around the time of the autumnal equinox when farmers tend to do their main crop harvesting.

A Supermoon appears when it is at its closest point to Earth and therefore at its brightest.

A Blood Moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse.

Each month of the year actually has its own special full moon phenomenon, they are as follows:

  • January: Wolf Moon
  • February: Snow Moon
  • March: Worm Moon
  • April: Pink Moon
  • May: Flower Moon
  • June: Strawberry Moon
  • July: Buck Moon
  • August: Sturgeon Moon
  • September: Full Corn Moon
  • October: Hunter’s Moon
  • November: Beaver Moon
  • December: Cold Moon.
Full ‘Corn Moon’ lights up the sky over the UK

In other space news, four Supermoons will be gracing the night sky in 2021.

Dead alien civilisations could be littered all over our galaxy, according to a new study.

And, Nasa announced its first team of astronauts that will be heading for the Moon.

Are you an avid stargazer? Let us know in the comments…


We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]


This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

How to Use the Emergency SOS Feature on Your Smartphone

No matter the make and model of your phone, it’s likely to…

Three ways to ensure AI doesn’t take your job and why arguing at work is actually a good thing

AN artificial intelligence expert has told The U.S. Sun three ways you…

Covid-19 social distancing ‘will trigger surge in 2021 FLU cases’

Social distancing and other measures put in place due to the coronavirus…

Winter Hexagon: How to see rare space event where SIX constellations combine in the sky this week

THE Moon can guide you to a fun star pattern this week.…