A micromoon will shine over SC soon. Here’s what that means and when you can see it

Sarah Claire McDonald

The first full moon and overall moon phase of the new year is set to occur Friday evening over South Carolina skies.

January’s full moon, called the wolf moon, will occur tonight at 6:08 p.m., according to the U.S. Naval Observatory.

This full moon will be in the constellation Gemini, and will rise about 26 minutes before sunset, which is at 4:43 p.m., according to Space.com.

January’s full moon comes with an exciting addition as the first full moon of the year and is also a micromoon — meaning the moon will be at its farthest point from Earth.

The term micromoon is the opposite of a supermoon, which is when the moon is at its nearest point to Earth.

January’s full micromoon is about 252,600 miles from Earth, according to almanac.com.

A micromoon is a full moon or new moon that will take place when the center of the moon is farther than 251,655 miles from the center of Earth, according to timeanddate.com.

The full moon or a new moon will coincide with apogee, the point in the moon’s orbit farthest away from Earth, continued timeanddate.com.

Micromoons do impact the local tides, just as any full moon or new moon would. So, if you plan to get on the water, this may be something to remember.

Micromoons lead to around 2 inches smaller variation than regular spring tides, called apogean spring tides, describes timeanddate.com.

Check your local tide chart or app to know where these tides will be at all hours of the day or night to stay safe or to satiate your own curiosity.

In addition, January’s full moon eventually became known as the wolf moon, as wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.

Other known names of January’s full moon include the center moon, as it refers to the idea that this month’s moon roughly marks the middle of the cold season, and other names that seem to emphasize the coldness of the season, which include the cold moon, frost exploding moon, freeze up moon, and severe moon.

What will be happening to the moon throughout the remainder of the month?

Here are January’s moon phases dates and times, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.

  • Full Moon: Jan. 6, 6:09 p.m.

  • Last Quarter: Jan. 14, 9:13 p.m.

  • New Moon: Jan. 21, 3:55 p.m.

  • First Quarter: Jan. 28, 10:20 a.m.

Advertisement