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A plane taking off from Ronald Reagan National Airport is seen passing in front of the Moon as it rises.
NASA / Bill Ingalls
A fantastic evening show will be visible from almost anywhere on Earth with clear skies on Thursday, although the backdrops obviously vary. But no matter where you are, you should be able to watch the sunset and then turn around to watch the first full moon of 2021, dubbed the Wolf Moon in North America, at around the same time.
The moon will also appear full over the next few nights, but it is not until Thursday evening that you can observe the spectacle of this enormous full moon rising over the horizon just as the sun sets.
It’s unclear why this midwinter moon is named after a wild canid, although some suspect it can be traced to traditional Native American and European methods of tracking the passage of time. As NASA points out, this particular full moon is also seen elsewhere as the candle moon, Thaipusam festival moon, Ananda Pagoda festival moon, and Tu B’Shevat full moon, among others.
Astronomically speaking, the time when the moon is at its peak – that is, directly in front of the sun – will arrive at 11:16 am PT on Thursday. But obviously our satellite will not be observable from many places at that time. Fortunately, anyone can just plan to go out at sunset to watch the show.
Once the twilight fades into the night lit by this howl-worthy moon, Mars should also be visible high in the sky to the southwest. Orient yourself to face that direction, then look almost directly above your head and that should be the brightest object you see.
But no celestial sight is easier to admire than a glorious full moon. It is also one of the best to photograph, even for amateurs. If you get great photos please share them with me @EricCMack.
To follow CNET’s 2021 Space Calendar to stay up to date with all the latest space news this year. You can even add it to your own Google Calendar.
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