The ‘Wolf’ will be the first full moon of 2023. Here’s when to see it from Pennsylvania
The first full moon of 2023 will rise Friday, Jan. 6, and it’s known as the Wolf Moon, as well as the Ice Moon, the Moon after Yule, the Old Moon and more.
The celestial event will be a micromoon, as the full moon will be at its farthest point from Earth. Micromoons appear dimmer than supermoons, which occur when the full moon is at its closest point in orbit to Earth.
January’s full moon is called the “Wolf” moon because wolves are typically active in mid-winter. Moon names often come from Indigenous and European tradition. The Farmers’ Almanac says the Wolf moon’s name is thought to have English origins.
When can you see the Wolf moon in central Pennsylvania?
The Wolf moon will become full at 6:09 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Friday, but Forbes recommends watching the skies Saturday evening instead as the sunset won’t interfere as much.
The sun will set at 4:59 p.m. in State College Saturday and the moon will rise at 5:30 p.m. Depending on cloud cover and other weather factors, you should be able to get a decent look of the full moon any time after dark Saturday.
While the Night Sky Network doesn’t seem to have a Wolf moon gathering on the calendar near State College, the Central Pennsylvania Observers will hold an informational “Astronomy 101” event soon.
When to see more full moons in 2023
If you miss the Wolf moon Friday and Saturday, you’ll have 12 more chances to see a full moon in 2023. Four will be supermoons, and one will be a blue moon.
Here’s this year’s full moon calendar, with information from Space.com:
Jan. 6: Wolf moon
Feb. 6: Snow moon
March 7: Worm moon
April 6: Pink moon
May 5: Flower moon
June 3: Strawberry moon
July 3: Buck supermoon
Aug. 1: Sturgeon supermoon
Aug. 30: Blue supermoon (appears biggest and brightest of the year)
Sept. 29: Harvest supermoon
Oct. 28: Hunter’s moon
Nov. 27: Beaver moon
Dec. 26: Cold moon
The Blue supermoon will be August’s second full moon, and Forbes says the best times to see it will be the evenings of Aug. 30 and Aug. 31.
Full moons have multiple names, and many come from Indigenous cultures. The Farmers’ Almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 9:55 AM.
