All You Need to Know About January's Full Wolf Moon and the Occultation of Mars

In the Northern Hemisphere, we’re in the dead of winter and most people are spending their evenings inside where it’s warm. You might want to bundle up and head outside soon, though, to get a look at January’s Wolf Moon and the occultation of Mars.

The full Moon happens roughly once every month (sometimes it happens twice in a month, something known as a Blue Moon), and each has its own name. In the United States the January full Moon is known as the Wolf Moon. It’s said that the name comes from the wolves which historically howled at night during this time of year. In other places and among other cultures, it has other names including the Ice Moon, Old Moon, Center Moon, Cold Moon, and many more.

In fiction, the full Moon is a time for weirdness and wonder, a time when werewolves emerge to hunt their prey. Later this month, a reimagined Wolf Man will stalk into theaters from director Leigh Whannell (The Invisible Man). After moving from San Francisco to Oregon, Blake (Christopher Abbott) and his family are attacked by a werewolf. They escape with their lives and board themselves inside the house, but Blake was scratched and he’s beginning to change. Wolf Man hits theaters January 17, but in the meantime, we have a real-world Wolf Moon of our own to check out.

When a full Moon occurs, the Moon is positioned directly opposite the Sun in relation to the Earth, resulting in its entire surface being illuminated as seen from our perspective. This alignment is why lunar eclipses can only take place during a full Moon, as it is the only time the Earth can interpose itself between the Moon and the Sun. At other times, the Moon receives light from different angles in relation to the Earth, which creates its distinctive phases, ranging from full Moon to new Moon and all the variations in between.