The first full moon of the year, dubbed the “Wolf moon,” is expected to appear on Thursday night. The moon’s beams will make Venus, Mercury, and Mars visible early on Friday morning, according to Forbes.
As per the United States Naval Observatory, the “Wolf moon” will be reaching its height at 12:54 pm ET and most of the Northern Hemisphere will be visible later in the evening.
The Wolf Moon, which gets its name from the howling packs of wolves that are heard outside of settlements in the winter, usually around January, will be visible for a short while. Moonrise is at 4:56 pm, and sunset is at 5:04 pm, eight minutes later.
Venus will rise at 5:11 am on Friday, followed by Mercury at 6:05 am and Mars at 6:09 am. Other planets will be highlighted by the light of the full moon.
Every month, though it might not always happen on the same day, there is a full moon as part of the moon’s 29.5-day cycle, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
During this period, the moon travels through eight phases: full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent, waxing gibbous, waxing crescent, and new moon.
The whole lunar surface facing Earth is illuminated by the Sun’s rays during the full moon phase, giving the moon the appearance of a perfect circle in the sky.
Just before dawn on Saturday, you should be able to see Venus blazing brightly via binoculars, according to EarthSky.
Mercury will be visible 45 minutes prior to sunrise, but at a lower altitude. With clear skies, observers might catch a glimpse of Mars, which will seem darker in relation to Mercury.
According to NASA, on Saturday morning, the waning moon—the stage between a full and half moon—will pass close to Regulus, the brightest star in the Leo constellation.
