Full moon at the end of the year of the Dragon: Tonight, Vietnamese people will see the Wolf Moon 'swallowing' Mars?
Báo Thanh niên•14/01/2025
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 Giap Thin before Vietnamese people welcome the full moon of the new year of At Ty 2025.
Why Wolf Moon?
According to the Hanoi Astronomical Society (HAS), the moon will reach its full moon phase in the twelfth lunar month at 5:26 a.m. on January 14. This is also the last full moon of the year of the Dragon. At this time, you can observe the moon all night long as it rises at dusk 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. The name is thought to have Celtic and Old English origins, brought to North America by European settlers from the howling of wolves at this time of year. Howling is an act used by wolves to communicate over long distances. There is no evidence that lunar phases play a specific role in wolf calls, but wolves are nocturnal animals and tend to look up at the sky to help their howls travel farther. At its full phase, the moon will be at 25°53′ in the constellation Gemini. It will be approximately 381,000 km away. On subsequent nights, the moon will rise about an hour later each day, only appearing in the sky as the night progresses. A week after the full moon, the moon will reach its waning phase, when it will rise at midnight.
What will happen to the moon and Mars tonight?
Experts say that on January 13, Mars will disappear behind the full moon for a few hours in a lunar occultation. Coincidentally, this phenomenon 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 p.m. tonight, January 13, then reappear behind the upper edge of the moon at 00:52 a.m. tomorrow morning, January 14, local time.
The full moon in January will be fullest on January 14.
PHOTO: HUY HYUNH
This is the time when Mars is at its largest in the sky when viewed from Earth, so astronomy enthusiasts can easily see the planet with the naked eye. The planet will have a slightly yellowish color. It is better to observe this phenomenon through binoculars or telescopes. Unfortunately, only certain areas on Earth can observe the lunar eclipse phenomenon, including North America and parts of West Africa. This means that Vietnam cannot observe this phenomenon. However, admiring the last full moon of the lunar year will also be an interesting experience. The full moon after the Wolf Moon will be the Snow Moon, which will be full on February 12.
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