Tonight we’ll see the rise of the wolf moon, the first full moon of 2021. Oddly enough, peak illumination begins at 2:16 p.m., when the moon is not generally visible. But don’t let the sun ruin the moon’s first big day this year; you can get a good glimpse right around sunset.
For those in the northern U.S., the moon sits relatively high in the sky during the winter months, and the moon will be most visible just before the sun sets in the northern hemisphere. You are more likely to see the moon closer to its highest illuminated state during “civil twilight,” which occurs right after the sun dips below the horizon—between 5:09 pm and 5:38 pm EST tonight (depending on cloud cover). According to Earth Sky, you’ll want to look toward the northeast horizon in a low-light setting to get the best view.
Tonight, the full moon is accompanied by Mars and Venus. Where a full moon’s light would typically drown out the planets’ shine, this one will be long past its peak brightness by the time it’s dark out, leaving them still visible in the starry sky.
So why do we call January’s full moon the wolf moon? The theory is that Indigenous tribes and Colonial settlers named it as such because wolves were known to howl more often at this time of the year, perhaps because they were hunting more often for scarcer prey during the harsh winter months (or having wolf parties to stay warm.)
Although there are few sources to substantiate this theory, the name has stuck—though truthfully, Indigenous peoples around the country have many different names for the first full moon of the year, and few mention wolves. Lunar names often coincide with the seasons—the Harvest Moon in October (Cherokee); the Flower Moon in April (Comanche). The Old Farmer’s Almanac notes the Assiniboine tribes call the January full moon the Center Moon, as it marks the season’s midpoint. If it means we’re that much closer to spring, I’ll take it.
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