On Friday, January 6, 2023, at 6:08 PM EDT, people will witness the year's first full moon also known as the Wolf Moon. It would also be the first full moon of winter 2022-2023 as the December full moon happened before the winter solstice.
The 2023 Wolf Moon is also known as a Micro moon as it will be at the farthest distance from the earth with an approximate distance of 252,600 miles from the planet.
Wolf Moon also marks the mid-winter and the transitioning of winter from spring and animals coming back from hibernation.
Why It Is Known As Wolf Moon
The origin of the name 'Wolf Moon' came from Native Americans as they heard wolves howling the most during the winter nights when the moon reached its peak illumination.
For centuries, they have been referring to it as Wolf Moons. It is also believed that wolves howl more during this time of the year because of food scarcity and hunger.
Alternative Names For The Wolf Moon
- Center Moon: The Assiniboine people from the Northern Great Plains gave this name as it marks the middle of the winter season.
- Moon After Yule: In ancient English calendars, it is also known as Moon after Yule as this is the first full moon after the winter solstice.
- Spirit Moon: It is freezing and dark in the Northern parts during this time. So, they take this time to honor the void and space and that's why they call it the spirit moon.
Other than these, the wolf moon is also known as the ice moon, the old moon, the cold moon, the frost exploding moon, the freeze-up moon, the severe moon, hard moon.
What To Read Next
The next full moon will take place in February and it is known as the Snow Moon
You might also enjoy reading about the names of the 12 moons in a year.
Here's also an article about full moon dates in 2023 .
