The best time to see tonight’s full ‘wolf moon’

Skygazers will also be able to see Mars during tonight's full moon.

PA REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2024 File photo dated 17/10/24: The full October moon, known as the Hunter's sets behind Edinburgh Castle. Issue date: Monday December 16, 2024.
A full moon rises behind Edinburgh Castle (Alamy)

The first full moon of the new year is set to rise over the UK tonight, with the Red Planet making an appearance, too.

The moon will be visible from late afternoon on 13 January, and the planet Mars should also be just visible to the naked eye – if the skies are clear enough.

Full moons are when the moon appears as a circle in the sky, because the full side of the moon facing the Earth is lit up by the sun. They occur roughly once a month, (in fact, the word ‘month’ comes from the word ‘moon’) but because our months don’t correspond exactly to the cycle of the moon, there are sometimes two full moons within a month.

Terms such as ‘wolf moon’ have grown in popularity in recent years, but the name simply refers to the first full moon of the year.

ADVERTISEMENT

The names we use for full moons today (such as ‘cold moon’, ‘wolf moon’ and ‘harvest moon’) come to us indirectly from Native American traditions.

Ely, UK. 14th Dec, 2024. The Cold Moon seen in the sky from Ely in Cambridge. The
The wolf moon has nothing to do with werewolves (Alamy)

NASA’s Gordon Johnston wrote: “In the 1930s the Maine Farmer's Almanac began publishing ‘Indian’ names for the full moons, tying these names to the European months."

The term ‘wolf moon’ comes from the traditional name for the first full moon of winter.

Johnston wrote: “The Algonquin tribes of what is now the northern and eastern United States named this the wolf moon, from the packs of wolves that howled hungrily outside the villages amid the cold and deep snows of winter.”

The moon will appear full for three days this week, roughly from Sunday through until Wednesday.

But the moon will actually peak at 10.27pm on 13 January, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.

ADVERTISEMENT

If you’re looking to see the planet Mars, you might want to look for the Moon as it is rising, according to astronomy experts.

The BBC Sky at Night Magazine says: "On January 13, if you step outside around 7.30pm and look to the east, you'll see the Full Moon rising higher and higher in the sky.

"Just below and to the left of the moon will be a red 'star', which is the planet Mars."

The best way to capture a memorable photo of the moon is to capture it framed by something memorable, like the roof of a local landmark or trees.

NASA photographer Bill Ingalls writes: ‘Don’t make the mistake of photographing the moon by itself with no reference to anything.

“Instead, think of how to make the image creative – that means tying it into some land-based object. It can be a local landmark or anything to give your photo a sense of place.’

ADVERTISEMENT

If you’re using a smartphone camera, consider getting a tripod to get a clear shot.

The next full moon is on 12 February at 1.53pm, according to Royal Museums Greenwich. It is known as the ‘snow moon’.