My thanks to Mycroft Croisdale Appleby for this picture of a ‘wolf moon’ taken over the village of Englishcombe near Bath.
It’s the name given to the first full moon of the year in native american culture.
According to www.thefactsite.com/wolf-moon-facts/
“A wolf moon is when the moon has reached the opposite side of the earth in orbit to the sun.
This means that the moon’s surface is in direct sunlight and is fully illuminated for us to gaze up at.
The wolf moon remains for the 14th-15th day of the cycle and then begins to return to a new moon.”
The first full moon of the year is always called the wolf moon.
There is roughly a full moon every month of the calendar and each one has a different name.
The names come from ancient beliefs and they are based on seasonal happenings, so they vary between cultures.
Across the northern hemisphere, there are similar elements that resemble a time of year.
The January full moon is called the wolf moon because this is the time of year that you are most likely to hear a wolf howling.
January is the wolves mating season, hence the increase in wolf howls.
For example, April’s full moon is often referred to as a “seed moon” or “awakening moon”.
This is because the month of April can be associated with spring.
However, there are many different names for the full moons throughout the year, depending on where you are in the world.”
