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! 🐾
Weather and climate change continue to dominate nature along the Front Range. Unless you live in a cave, you’ve no doubt heard about the catastrophic Marshall and Middle Fork fires which hit the northern metro suburbs yesterday afternoon. Hurricane force winds of over 100 mph are believed to have knocked down power lines sparking dry grasslands which moved quickly between Denver and Boulder. The entire towns of Superior and Louisville were evacuated yesterday which remains in effect today. Nearly 600 homes, the Element Hotel and a shopping center were destroyed. Six people were reported to have suffered injuries but it is unknown if there have been any fatalities. Winds were so strong yesterday, there was little firefighters could do but evacuate homes and businesses in the fire’s path as quickly as possible. Major traffic jams occurred when some cars four-wheeled over bike paths and through parking lots to escape the wildfire’s path. A state of emergency is in effect.
