The Wolf Moon Howls Tonight in San Angelo

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, The full Wolf Moon rises today (Thursday, January 28th, 2021). Barring clouds or bad weather, it will be visible around the world.

January’s full Wolf Moon reaches peak illumination at 2:18 P.M. EST today. However, the moon won’t be visible until it rises above the horizon around sunset.

The full moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Colonial American, Native American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not just to the full Moon itself.

It's believed that January’s full moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more often heard howling at this time. It was also thought that wolves howled due to hunger during the winter, but we now know that wolves howl for other reasons. Wolf Howling and other wolf vocalizations are generally used to define territory, locate members of their pack, reinforce social bonding, and to coordinate hunting.

Another name for this full moon is the Center Moon. It was used by the Assiniboine people and it refers to the idea that this Moon roughly marks the middle of the winter season.

Other traditional names for the January moon emphasize the harsh coldness of the season: Cold Moon (Cree), Frost Exploding Moon (Cree), Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin), Severe Moon (Dakota), and Hard Moon (Dakota).

For more information about the Wolf Moon, click here.