The full moon in the month of January has been long known as the "Wolf Moon," thought to originate, according to the Farmer's Almanac, from hearing wolves howling during the cold January nights, seemingly calling out to the moon.
Native American tribes also referred to this moon variously as the Cold Moon (very black metal), Hard Moon and Severe Moon.
The moon will reach its peak fullness Thursday afternoon — 2:16 p.m., per NASA — but don't fret, there will be plenty of Wolf Moon glory to go around in the early evening hours on Thursday. (NASA also helpfully points out that around 6:26 p.m. tonight, the planet Mars will be brightly shining and visible tonight.)
The Farmer's Almanac calculations in Tampa for moonrise tonight is at 6:08 p.m. and moonset is at 7:23 p.m. Those should be the peak times to see the Wolf Moon and give it a loud, welcoming howl — if the mood takes you.
A version of this story first appeared at our sister publication Orlando Weekly.
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This article appears in Jan 28 – Feb 3, 2021.