The strangely-named Wolf Moon ushers-in the first of the 12 named Full Moons of the year. Those interested in astronomy will be treated to rare celestial phenomenon because the January Full Moon will coincide with a lunar eclipse.
Look to the heavens this Thursday and Friday evening and – weather permitting – you will see a Full Moon.
This stunning Full Moon will be visible both at moonrise and moonset around the world.
Eagle-eyed viewers in the Eastern Hemisphere may even detect Earth’s faint shadow on the Full Moon’s face on the night of January 10 to 11.
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Why are there thirteen full moons in 2020?
Lunar months are 29 days long and most months are longer than 29 days.
Consequently, the date of the Full Moon drifts to be sooner in successive months.
There inevitably comes a time when there is both a Full Moon on the first and last day of the month.
This is something that in 2020 occurs in October.
The second Full Moon of that month, on October 31, will, therefore, be a Blue Moon, so 2020 will have 13 Full Moons in total.
How many Full Moons are there in 2020?
Here are all of the 13 named Full Moons you should look out for this year:
January 10 – Full Woolf Moon
February 9 – Full Snow Moon
March 9 – Full Worm Moon
April 8 – Full Pink Moon
May 7 – Full Flower Moon
June 5 – Full Strawberry Moon
July 5 – Full Buck Moon
August 3 – Full Sturgeon Moon
September 2 – Full Corn Moon
October 1 – Full Hunter’s Moon
October 31 – Blue Moon
November 30 – Full Beaver’s Moon
December 30 – Full Cold Moon
Because we have 13 full moons this year, there will be two Full Moons in October 2020.
In modern folklore, the second Full Moon in a calendar month is commonly called a Blue Moon.
What is the meaning behind the Wolf Moon’s name?
With the exception of the occasional Blue Moon, there are 12 Full Moons in each lunar calendar, all with odd names.
These lunar names can be traced back to the Native American tribes.
Full Moons were assigned different names to help keep track of the changing seasons, linked to the landscape.
The April Full Pink Moon, for instance, is named after a type of pink flower that sprouts around the start of spring.
The US space agency NASA said: “A Full Moon rising can be a dramatic celestial sight and Full Moons can have many names.”
Will the Full Moon coincide with a lunar eclipse?
Some people in the world can enjoy the Wolf Moon lunar eclipse coinciding with a Full Moon.
The Wolf Moon Eclipse will be visible from Europe, Africa, Asia and parts of Australia.
A lunar eclipse can only occur during a Full Moon, when the Sun, Earth and Moon line-up, with our planet in the middle.
On these occasions, Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon, creating a lunar eclipse.
Such eclipse events take place at least twice and a maximum of five times a year.
There are three kinds of lunar eclipses: total, partial and penumbral.
A penumbral lunar eclipse sees only the more diffused outer shadow of Earth – known as the penumbra – appear on the surface of the Moon.
A penumbral event is the most subtle type of lunar eclipse, meaning it is very difficult to see.
At best, at mid-eclipse, skygazers can enjoy a slight shading on the face of the Moon.
Eclipse expert Fred Espenak told Earthsky.org that approximately 35 percent of eclipses are penumbral.
