This January 13th, the Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 22:28 UTC (4:28 PM, Central Time). This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Wolf Moon because this was the time of year when hungry wolf packs howled outside their camps.
It was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, but we know today that isn’t accurate.
Howling and other wolf vocalizations are heard in the wintertime to locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, define territory, and coordinate hunting.
This moon has also been known as the Old Moon and the Moon After Yule.
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), and Severe Moon (Dakota). Hard Moon (Dakota) highlights the phenomenon of the fallen snow developing a hard crust.
Canada Goose Moon (Tlingit), Great Moon (Cree), Greetings Moon (Western Abenaki), and Spirit Moon (Ojibwe) have also been recorded as Moon names for this month.
