The first full moon of 2022, also known as the "Wolf Full Moon", rises tonight, January 17, and will give us a dazzling view of the Earth's only natural satellite, weather permitting.
The first full moon of the year reaches its peak at dawn on Tuesday (1:48 a.m.). However, lovers of the sky and astronomy will begin to see the moonrise about 24 minutes before sunset.
The full moon occurs when the moon is on the exact opposite side of the Earth from the sun. As a result, the moon appears illuminated because we see sunlight reflected from it. Tonight the Wolf Moon will appear complete by Wednesday morning.
Sky observers may be lucky enough to see Pollux, the brightest star in the Gemini constellation, according to a NASA announcement.
The January full moon, as Space writes, was named "Wolf Moon" because wolves howled to the moon at this time of year. People believed that wolves howled more during the winter because they were hungry. However, howling can also be a sign that wolves are "marking" their area, trying to locate other members of the herd, strengthening social ties or coordinating hunting, according to The Farmers' Almanac.
Apart from "Moon of the Wolf", the full moon of January has some other nicknames. For example, Asinibuan in Winnipeg, Canada, called this month's full moon the "Moon of the Center" because it rises in the middle of the cold season in the Northern Hemisphere.
According to the Farmers' Calendar, other names of the full moon include: Cold Moon, Freeze Up Moon, Severe Moon, Hard Moon, Canada Goose Moon, Great Moon, Greetings Moon and Spirit Moon. All these names refer to the extreme temperatures of the winter season and the reception of the new year.