Baton Rouge Reporter

This January 13th, the Moon will be positioned opposite the Earth from the Sun, resulting in a fully illuminated face. This celestial event will occur at 22:28 UTC (4:28 PM Central Time). Historically, early Native American tribes referred to this full moon as the Wolf Moon, as it coincided with the time of year when wolf packs were often heard howling near their camps.

While it was once thought that wolves howled out of hunger during winter, current understanding reveals that these vocalizations serve other purposes. Howling helps wolves locate pack members, strengthen social bonds, establish territory boundaries, and coordinate hunting activities.

The January full moon is also known by several other names. It has been called the Old Moon and the Moon After Yule. Various traditional names highlight the coldness associated with this time of year: Cold Moon (Cree), Frost Exploding Moon (Cree), Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin), and Severe Moon (Dakota). The term Hard Moon (Dakota) refers to the hard crust formed on fallen snow.

Other recorded names for this month's moon include Canada Goose Moon (Tlingit), Great Moon (Cree), Greetings Moon (Western Abenaki), and Spirit Moon (Ojibwe).