While visiting my dad again this week, I couldn’t help but take notice what is often referred to as the Wolf Moon last night. What is a Wolf Moon, you ask? It’s the first moon of January but officially arrived on Monday, Jan. 17, at 6:48 p.m. EST (1148 GMT). Like other full moons, it can be seen for about 3 days. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, its origin comes from Native Americans who often heard wolves howling during cold winter nights this time of year. The Wolf Moon is also known as the Ice Moon, the Moon after Yule, the Old Moon and the Thaipusam Festival Moon, among other names.
Although I didn’t bring my DSLR for this trip, I thought I’d see if the new cell phone might be able to reasonably capture it. It’s not a great image, but shooting anything in low light conditions without a tripod can be tricky but for a small, convenient device generally held in one’s pocket, it’s not too terribly bad.
As the first full moon of 2022, it shines brightly in the evening hours. A full moon can impact some dogs who suffer from epilepsy so I always try to be a bit aware of this time every month for Elsa’s sake, in case it triggers a seizure in her. According to Space.com, a full moon occurs when the moon is exactly on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun and occurs roughly once a month. The timing is determined by where the moon is relative to the Earth rather than where it appears in the sky, which is slightly different depending on where you’re located, according to the website.
Since the full moon is on the opposite side from the sun, folks in the Northern Hemisphere will see it relatively high in the sky (since the moon is in roughly the same position the sun would be during the daytime during summer months). In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite would be true.
The Wolf Moon may not be the only interesting sight seen in the night sky these days. Jupiter as well as Saturn may also be visible, with Saturn appearing to the lower right above Jupiter at two degrees above the horizon and setting shortly thereafter. With the city’s light pollution, I’d likely need a telescope in order to see them, if at all.
If you missed this month’s full moon, the next one will appear on Wednesday, Feb. 16 and will appear full for about three days, from about midnight Tuesday morning to about midnight Thursday night.
Were you able to catch the 2022 Wolf Moon?
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Lovely capture of the moon. I used to love to take pics of my Wolfie under the moon. This is the first Wolf moon he isn’t here for…but it and full moons in general, will always remind me of our time together for our moon walks in the yard. <3
And that’s a lovely and sweet remembrance to cherish. 💜
I had no idea about the effect it could have on dogs.
The moon is a powerful force of nature for us all.
It is.
Pawesome photo!! Mama loves a good full moon so her was outside in da cold just a snapping away the udder night.
xoxo,
Matt & Matilda
Why thank you! It was so bright and just begged to be photographed.
Our weather is so foggy since December, that we only saw the Moon only once, but we felt the energy. We always do..thank Cat Granny and I didn’t change that night…MOL😺Pawkisses for a Happy Sunday🐾😽💞
Glad you were able to at least view it once, it was spectacularly bright at my Dad’s house.
It was a gorgeous full moon – and I didn’t know that it was the Wolf moon. Cool! I didn’t know that about seizures. Shyla also has epilepsy and it’s a good thing for me to be aware of. Thanks.
It’s always good to be conscious around the full moon with these epi-dogs. 💜💜💜
This was a beautiful moon! On my way home from work it was rising from behind the hill we live on and it looked so huge!
Huge and incredibly bright!
Very cool to see and read about!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
At the Engleville Tick Ranch, the Wolf Moon rose over a deep blanket of new snow. At the peak of its arc, a corona encircled it, a night rainbow in the crystal-filled sky. We dashed outside and stood in the 10-degree air to marvel at the sight. Afterwards, we shut off all the lights to gaze out the windows as it cast the “luster of mid-day to objects below”.
The Wolf Moon may in fact be the brightest, though I’m not sure we can really perceive the difference. The Wolf Moon occurs around the time of Perihelion, when the Earth is about 3 million miles closer to the sun than it will be in July (Aphelion). An elliptical, or “oval”, orbit of Earth around the sun results in these events.
Stay Warm.
Paz
It truly is a sight to behold!
I think it’s a gorgeous photo – and we’ve seen the Wolf Moon and how it’s been like a beacon in the night….especially for us with the snow covered landscape here right now. Add that kind of a “beamer” of a moon and it REALLY makes for interesting views at night out the windows. Have always LOVED full moons………….
Hugs, Pam
The moon certainly inspires one’s imagination in all sorts of ways. It’s always a different world when I see the night sky from my Dad’s house, there’s little light pollution compared to the Mile High city.
Lulu: “I didn’t hear any wolves howling but the coyotes have sure been noisy lately. Does that count?”
It sure does! Close enough.
Nope, totally missed it with our cloudy conditions, so thanks for sharing! Hope Elsa made it through sans seizure.
She sure did. Thanks for checking. 🙏🏼
The wolf moon is exciting. We love the full moon. It fills us with “what if’s.” What if the full moon slipped it’s orbit doe a few thousand miles. What would this do to the ocean’s tides? Yu get the idea.
So many outcomes!
Mom now gets why we didn’t want to come inside last night. We saw that big, beautiful moon too. Thanks for all the info.
Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber
It was totally YOUR moon!
We think the moon affects both huMoms and pupsters.
We did see the Wolf Moon, and we were very happy there wasn’t a wolf to go with it. Typically, Mom and I do not like night, but the moon was pretty.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
Not to date myself, but ‘when I was a kid…’ there were no special names for moons. Only “look at that cool full moon!’
I’ve often heard the wolf cry to the Blue Corn Moon. We like to view things astronomical from the hot tub. Sadly, in SoCal the viewing conditions bite the big one – way too much light and pollution of all types. Last month however we had a treat when Jupiter, Saturn and Venus aligned along a diagonal axis and were visible on a rare clear night although Saturn took a little imagination. Supposedly Pluto was also in the alignment but obviously we couldn’t see it because Pluto is a dog.
Poor Pluto…he’s continues to be maligned since he was de-planet-it ed.
I never really get to see stars because of the light pollution in Denver. It’s only when I visit my Dad that I can enjoy such wonders.
Not a bad picture at all for a phone camera! Very pretty.
Thanks! I thought so too.
You’re very kind. Thank you!
Thank you for explaining the Wolf Moon, we don’t use that name here, or any name, just a full moon.
That’s what I always thought too.
The tradition of naming each month’s moon always makes a full moon feel more special!
Perhaps, but growing up it was just “there’s a full moon” approach that I haven’t quite gotten over as an adult. 😉
Yes, I always loved the full moon and only knew one or two names for them in the way back times.
We did see the Wolf Moon here, we had a night that was relatively cloud free.
Your cell phone photo looks pretty good to me!
Thanks. It was pretty exciting to see it without the usual light pollution from street lights.
It has been raining on and off yesterday and today. We may not see the moon again until Friday.
We’re rather jealous about your rain but know everyone west of the Mississippi can use extra moisture. There was a teensy bit of wet today but mostly January cold here.
I noticed it when I went to work Monday night… because there was a thin layer of clouds and the halo was as bright as any I’ve ever seen before. I didn’t have time to run in and get the camera, but it probably wouldn’t have captured how neat it looked anyway…
It was pretty cool, I’ll admit.
You did well on the cell phone, Monika.
Thank you John. Not half bad if I do say so. 😉
I saw that full moon…and it was my working time at the nursing home…and I thought, well that explains a lot, LOL!
My sister used to say the full moons used to agitate the inmates at the jail she worked in for many years.
But it was nice to have some light from above on my way home…which helped me see the silly deer that was dancing in the middle of the road. Yikes!
I always thought the lawyers I worked for were a bit ‘edgier’ during a full moon. 😉
We did that beautiful Wolf Moon when were coming home Sunday (not quite full yet) it was nice because we had clear skies here in Michigan. Your picture is wonderful and thanks for sharing it and all the info on the full moon. Interesting how they have detected that the full moon causes seizures in dog. I just read were Shark bites are related to full moon even though they bite during the day. I know the Assisted Living where my mom lived the nurse said some strange things would happen. Thanks again
Glad you found the info useful. Wasn’t it a bright moon (even on Sunday)? Yeah, for some dogs, seizures are often triggered during full moon phases. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
No, I’m scared off wolves.
Well, at least you can fly out of their reach.
Mee-yow iss Elsa OKay Miss Monika? BellaSita Mum had a HUGE Seezuer CAturday nite…due you think Wolfie Moon did sumthin to her??? Shee was woozy an disoriented for 3 dyass aftur……
Mee thinkss shee iss a bit bettur…..
Pleese give mee **nose kissess** to Elsa!
An of coarse ***paw kissess*** to sweet Norman two.
Yore fotoss are lovelee purr usual.
***nose kissess*** BellaDahrma an {{{huggiess}}} BellaSita Mum
So far she’s been just fine but I always try to be extra sensitive to the arrival of a full moon. So sorry you mum had a seizure. Sending loads of ‘pawsitive’ healing energy her way. 💜
Thanx Miss Monika fore yore healin energy! You are so iknd!!!
What an atmospheric photograph…and thank you for the information too. The first night it shone on the bed of the two new arrivals – now out of quarantine – and woke them up ready for fun and games, so the bed was moved into shadow.
Congrats on a couple of the newbies being released from quarantine but sorry about the revelry; guess shadows at night can be a good thing with dogs. I didn’t really know much about the origins of the Wolf Moon so it was fun to be able to share it with others.
I’ve seen it twice this month. Most beautiful and thank you for the history lesson.
Have a fabulous day and rest of the week. Scritches to the pups, a smooch to Norman and a big hug to you. ♥
It really did seem like it was more illuminated than most full moons. I always wondered it it was because of a lack of atmosphere in winter months.
Yes we caught it high and bright in the sky. No howling from my girls though. Just a lot of snoring. 😴.
How lucky to get to see sights like that without light pollution that is typical in the city. It was somewhat of a fluke that I was at Dad’s when it arrived.
No mooning here. As usual I missed it. We don’t get great sunsets where we live now so I never look at the moon unless someone tells me to.
If I hadn’t been at my Dad’s I probably wouldn’t have seen it either. It makes these trips even more special to be able to see the night sky without all the pesky street lights of the city.
Thanks for the interesting info. I like the picture.
Thank you. That’s very kind to say. It’s not a great photo but I know for sure my older phone wouldn’t have been able to capture anything in a low light condition.
we saw it too… and we acted like idiots during this time…the mama hopes it is over now… welll. she hopes…
There’s something about full moons making everyone just a ‘little different’ isn’t there? 😉
I did! The day before and the morning after. The evening of the 17th, I had a strange yellow sky, after a full day of snowing. No moon to be see.
I love how the Indigenous have a name for each new moon. 🙂
And your pic is absolutely lovely!
You’re too kind. Images taken at my Dad’s seem almost surreal compared to cityscapes.
I love the pics you take from your dad’s. They all seem surreal!
You’re too sweet. Thanks. The area at my Dad’s house is so different from where I live. It totally fascinates me.
It’s such a beautiful area. I love that it fascinates you because you share with us 🙂
This ruralish landscape has a unique and special charm. It’s not for everyone but am touched that you like the images. Thank you, my friend.
I know I would love it. 🙂
Have a fabulous Thursday!
Here? We’re freezing our buns off. It is currently at a wind chill of -22C (-8F)
Brrrrr! I just looked, it’s 16F with a skiff of snow. I needed to stay an extra day because going home over the pass was just too risky given how crazy drivers zip around. They think just because they have AWD. Funny thing though, ice is a great equalizer and doesn’t care how much you trust 4-wheel drive.
I’m glad you did! Not worth the risk. Why drivers don’t seem to understand that no matter what vehicle you have, no matter what tires you have, ice doesn’t care…
Me too. It gave me more time with my Dad and out of town siblings which is always great fun. We’ve been reminiscing about our favorite growing up years.
That is great! It’s definitely a win-win situation.
Lovely pic and supporting post. Interesting how all the full moons are different names – names from various legends that add lore. Personally, i’m glad they exist, so thanks for sharing. … .and yes … I did see the Wolf Moon, and look forward to the next full moon.