Full moon at the end of the year of the Dragon: Tonight Vietnamese people can see the Wolf Moon 'swallowing' Mars?

Tonight and early tomorrow morning (January 13-14), the last full moon of the year of the Dragon 2024 shines in the sky of Vietnam. At this time, many places in the world can admire the phenomenon of the Wolf Moon 'swallowing' Mars. Can Vietnamese people see it?

This year's Wolf Moon is the first full moon of the 2025 solar year and also the full moon of December, the last full moon of the year of the Dragon before Vietnamese people welcome the full moon of the new year of the Snake 2025.

Why is it called the Wolf Moon?

According to the Hanoi Astronomical Society (HAS), the moon will reach its full phase in the 12th lunar month at 5:26 AM on January 14th. This will also be the last full moon of the Year of the Dragon. At this time, you can observe the moon throughout the night as it rises at sunset and only sets at dawn.

The full moon in January is also known as the Wolf Moon.

The first full moon of the 2025 calendar year is also known as the Wolf Moon. This name is believed to originate from Celtic and Old English, brought to North America by European settlers, stemming from the howling of wolves at this time of year. Wolf howling is a form of communication between animals. There is no evidence to suggest that lunar phases play a specific role in the wolf's howling, but wolves are nocturnal animals and often turn toward the sky to carry their howls further. At its full phase, the moon will have an eclipticity of 25°53′ in the constellation Gemini. It will be approximately 381,000 km away from us. On subsequent nights, the moon will rise about an hour later each day and will only appear in the sky later in the night. A week after the full moon, the moon will reach its waning phase, at which point it will rise at midnight.

What will happen to the moon and Mars tonight?

Experts say that on January 13th, Mars will disappear behind the full moon for a few hours in a lunar eclipse. Coincidentally, this occurs when the red planet enters opposition, meaning Mars is directly opposite the sun when viewed from Earth. According to Livescience , Mars will disappear behind the lower edge of the moon at 8:44 PM tonight, January 13th, and then reappear behind the upper edge of the moon at 12:52 AM local time tomorrow, January 14th.

The full moon in January will be at its fullest on January 14th.

PHOTO: HUY HYUNH

This is the time when Mars is at its largest in the sky as seen from Earth, so astronomy enthusiasts can easily see the planet with the naked eye. The planet will appear slightly yellowish. It's better to observe this phenomenon through binoculars or a telescope. Unfortunately, only certain areas on Earth can observe the lunar eclipse, including North America and parts of West Africa. This means that Vietnam will not be able to observe this phenomenon. However, admiring the last full moon of the lunar year will still be a fascinating experience. The full moon after the Wolf Moon will be the Snow Moon, which will be full on February 12th.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/trang-tron-cuoi-nam-giap-thin-toi-nay-nguoi-viet-xem-duoc-trang-soi-nuot-sao-hoa-185250113102811698.htm