When you purchase through contact on our site , we may earn an affiliate commission . Here ’s how it works .

Are you quick for one of the ethereal highlighting of 2025 ? Thefirst full moon of the year , the Wolf Moon , will do something extraordinary , as seen across North America .

Although it will be formally full at 5:26 p.m. EST tonight ( Jan. 13 ) , the full moon will be better seen rise in the east at crepuscle on Tuesday , Jan. 14 atmoonrisewhere you are . It will be in the configuration Cancer and give ear below a shiny planet , Mars , which will have a distinctly golden glow . That will be the best time to follow it rise , because on Monday , it will seem so soon after sunset that the sky will still be too bright to fully apprize the full lunation .

A winter scene with a single tree covered in snow and a full moon

The Wolf Moon will occult Mars as seen from North America.

However , it will sure as shooting be deserving watch the moon overnight between Monday and Tuesday . accord toIn The Sky , between 8:44 p.m. Eastern Time on Jan. 13 and 12:52 a.m. EST on Jan. 14 , the Wolf Moon will come along to move across and block Mars for about an hour , bet on your exact placement .

Although it will be potential to see the unusual event with the naked middle , a pair ofbinocularsor asmall beginner telescopewill give you a terrifying close - up of Mars as it disappears behind the southerly branch of the moon and then re-emerge above its northern limb .

come to : The 10 best stargazing events of 2025

a photograph of Mars rising behind the moon

unco , the rare upshot will occur just a few day beforeMarsreaches its most outstanding and bright for 26 months . Its annual opponent will hap on Thursday , Jan. 16as it align with Earth and the sunlight , with its disc being 100%-lit as seen from Earth . Since Earth takes 365 days to orbit the sun and Mars take up 687 Earth day , Earth pass between Mars and the Lord’s Day every 789 days .

— Full moons of 2025 : Names , escort and everything you take to know

— What temperature is the moon ?

an illustration showing the moon getting progressively darker and then turning red during a total lunar eclipse

— Is the synodic month a satellite ?

The Wolf Moon gets its name from the howling wolves in the early part of the year , according toTimeanddate.com , with other name including the Stay Home Moon , Quiet Moon , Severe Moon and Center Moon . Other Native American name for January ’s moon include the Cold Moon , Frost Exploding Moon , Freeze Up Moon , Severe Moon , Hard Moon , Canada Goose Moon , Great Moon , Greetings Moon and Spirit Moon , according toThe Old Farmer ’s Almanac .

The full moon after the Wolf Moon will be the Snow Moon , which will twist full on Feb. 12 .

An illustration of a full moon with a single flower blossom

a pink full moon rising against the Toronto skyline

A photo of the �blood moon� hovering above Austin in March, 2025.

blood red moon during a total lunar eclipse next to a building with two statues on the roof

an illustration of a base on the moon

A photo of the sun setting from the Moon

A photo of the Blue Ghost lunar lander on the surface of the moon bathed in a red light

A tree is silhouetted against the full completed Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023 in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.

Screen-capture of a home security camera facing a front porch during an earthquake.

Circular alignment of stones in the center of an image full of stones

Three-dimensional rendering of an HIV virus

a photo of the Milky Way reflecting off of an alpine lake at night