How Could You Watch Wolf Moon, First Full Moon of 2023
Written by Reananda Hidayat PermonoCompleted Master of Science - MS, Petroleum Geology from Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
Exploraphones.com
The first full moon of this year, called Wolf Moon, will appear in the evening sky on Jan. 6, 2023, with peak illumination at 3:08 p.m. PT.
However, the moon will seem smaller than what we normally see.
This month’s full moon is called a micromoon, around 14% smaller than a supermoon.
It happens because we are almost at the point in which the moon’s orbit is farthest away from Earth.
The moon has an eclipsing orbit; hence, its distance to Earth keeps changing over time.
There are some points in which the moon’s position is closer and farther to Earth.
When the moon’s position is farthest from the Earth, we call it apogee.
On the other hand, when the moon’s location is nearest to Earth, it’s called perigee.
Typically, full moons appear brighter and larger when the moon is at its perigee, which is a supermoon.
According to EarthSky.org, the full moon on Friday evening seem nearly 14% smaller than a supermoon.
It’s understandable since the distance between the moon and the Earth is around 250,000 miles (or 400,000 km).
People in New York City can see the Wolf Moon rise at 3:21 p.m. EST and watch it set at 7:26 a.m. EST.
The moon will be in the Gemini constellation and visible for most of the night.