January's full moon rises Thursday: What to know about the 'wolf moon'

Get ready to howl: The full "wolf" moon will rise in the evening sky Thursday night.

The moon will actually reach full peak at 12:54 p.m. Thursday, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, though it will be below the horizon at that point. But once it rises a few hours later, it will still look plenty full.

This will be 2024's first full moon, which is a phenomenon that occurs when the moon is located on the exact opposite side of Earth from the sun.

Thursday's full moon is one of the few astronomy events of the winter, as there aren't many meteor showers, planetary alignments or other captivating sights throughout the season, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lada.

Why is it called the wolf moon?

The first full moon of the year is known as the wolf moon because wolves seem to howl more at night during the winter, the Old Farmer's Almanac said.  

But it's not because they're hungry: "Howling and other wolf vocalizations are heard in the wintertime to locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, define territory, and coordinate hunting," the Almanac said.

The name has stuck even due to the doubts about the accuracy of the wolf moon moniker.

What are other names for this month's full moon?

Other names for January's full moon were coined by Native American tribes and allude to the cold weather in the season. The names include center moon – named for the moon occurring roughly in the center of the winter – along with cold moon, frost exploding moon, freeze up moon and severe moon.

More:Monthly skywatcher's guide to 2024: Eclipses, full moons, comets and meteor showers

When is the next full moon?

After Thursday's wolf moon, the next full moon will be on February 24. It's known as the snow moon due to the large snowfalls that often occur in February.

It will be the final full moon before the arrival of astronomical spring on March 19, according to AccuWeather.

Contributing: Mike Snider, USA TODAY; Kyle Morel, NorthJersey.com