Start Howling! A “Full Wolf Moon” Is Happening Tomorrow

We’re just days into the new year and the universe is already treating us to a celestial phenomenon. During 2020, there will be 13 Full Moons to catch, and on Friday, January 10th, we’ll get to see the first one. But this ain’t just any Full Moon, my stargazing friends. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, legend has it that wolves were heard howling more frequently during this time of year, which led January’s Full Moon to acquire the name Wolf Moon. On Friday, however, there won’t be just a Full Wolf Moon but also a Full Wolf Moon Eclipse.

Now, there’s some good news and bad news. The bad news is that the actual Full Wolf Moon Eclipse will be visible only in Asia, Australia, Europe, and Africa—we folks in North America will not be able to see it since it will take place during our daytime. The good news is that North America *will* get to observe the ~rise of the Full Wolf Moon~ later that day.

To fill you in, this Wolf Moon Eclipse is classified as a penumbral lunar eclipse, which occurs when the Moon passes through Earth’s outer shadow, known as the penumbra. It is the first of four penumbral eclipses scheduled to take place in 2020, according to Time and Date. During this type of eclipse, which is often subtle and hard to spot, the Full Moon appears slightly darker than usual as the Earth blocks some of the Sun’s light from directly reaching the Moon’s surface. Generally speaking, it’s not as exciting as a partial lunar eclipse, when a large chunk of the Moon is blacked out, or a total lunar eclipse, when the Earth blocks the Sun’s light from reaching the Moon—resulting in a reddish-looking Moon, or Blood Moon, as some call it. Anyway, the Wolf Moon Eclipse is slated to last around four hours on January 10th, with the Moon entering the Earth’s outer shadow at 12:06 p.m. ET (8:06 a.m. AKT) and leaving the shadow at 4:14 p.m. ET (12:14 p.m. AKT). It will reach its full peak at 2:21 p.m. ET (10:21 a.m. AKT)—this is the best time to snap those pics, FYI.

Since it will be daytime in North America while all this is happening, we won’t be able to see it for ourselves. We will be able to observe the rise of the Wolf Moon though. This will occur at 4:45 p.m. ET in New York and at 5:10 p.m. PT in Los Angeles—you can check which time the Moon will rise in your area with this calculator. Those interested in catching this special Full Moon ascend into the night sky can expect the Moon to glow orange, then yellow, and continue to keep getting brighter as it drifts upward, according to Travel + Leisure.

While this isn’t the most mind-blowing Moon you’ll see this year, it’s still worth checking out. And remember, there are still 12 other Full Moons this year to look forward to if you miss this one.

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