Wolf Moon! First Full Moon of 2023 is here; check date and time

Why is the first full moon of the year known as the Wolf Moon and when does it arrive? Know all here - from time, date to place and more.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Jan 06 2023, 18:35 IST

How well do you know Earth's Moon? How did it form, rotation, its orbit? Get up close and familiar- 5 points

Full Moon — 1/5 How did the Moon form? According to the information provided by NASA, the leading theory behind the formation of the Moon is that a Mars-sized object collided with Earth billions of years ago, and debris from this collision eventually formed the Moon. (NASA)

image caption — 3/5 Moon orbit Earth: According to NASA, the Moon takes about one month to orbit Earth (27.3 days to complete a revolution, but 29.5 days to change from New Moon to New Moon). As the Moon completes each 27.3-day orbit around Earth, both Earth and the Moon are moving around the Sun. Because of this change in position, sunlight appears to hit the Moon at a slightly different angle on day 27 than it does on day zero ― even though the Moon itself has already traveled all the way around Earth. It takes a little more than two additional days for sunlight to hit the Moon in the same way it did on day zero. This is why it takes 29.5 days to get from new moon to new moon, even though it doesn’t take quite that long for the Moon itself to travel once around Earth. (NASA)

If you are an avid skywatcher, then just look up at the sky and you may see the first full moon of the year. It is known as the Wolf Moon. Usually, the names of the full moons are inspired by the active seasons, weather or animals during the time of their arrival. The Wolf Moon is named after howling wolves. The event happens in the month of January. It is also known as Cold Moon, Frost Exploding Moon, Freeze Up Moon, Hard Moon and even Severe Moon. Here is all you need to know about the first full moon of 2023, from its date, time, and place to watch.

When and how to watch the Wolf Moon?

NASA confirmed that the Full Moon will occur today. NASA Sun & Space Twitter handle tweeted, "Hello beautiful! The first full Moon of the year – also known as the #WolfMoon – will occur this Friday evening, Jan. 6. During a full Moon, the hemisphere of the Moon we can see from Earth is fully illuminated by the Sun." The full moon can be seen in the late afternoon, rising high overhead in the evening and in the northern hemisphere.

As per a report by EarthSky.com, the crest of the full moon falls at 23:08 UTC on January 6. That's 5:08 p.m. CST.

The good part is that in case you miss seeing the wolf moon today, you will have another chance! The Moon will appear full on January 7 as well. NASA says that the evening after the full Moon, which is January 7, the moon will rise around 7 degrees on the other side of the bright star Pollux.

Did you know?

Did you know, a full moon happens when the moon is exactly on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun? Moreover, the full Moon is important for many, whether due to religious and cultural reasons or purely scientific reasons such as checking for high tides. Including this one, there are a total of 13 full moons in 2023. The next will be on February 6, known as Snow moon.

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