How to watch the 'Ice Moon' rise on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

 

The first full moon of 2022 will rise at 6:48 p.m. EST on Monday, January 17, which is also Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday in the United States.

According to NASA, the "Wolf Moon," as the Farmer's Almanac refers to it, will be visible to the naked eye for three days, from Sunday evening (Jan. 16) through Wednesday morning (Jan. 19). The full moon in January is known as the Ice Moon, which is appropriate for the season. It's sometimes referred to as "the moon following Yule" in Europe, a reference to the pre-Christian holiday of Yule, which dates back to the 5th century with Germanic peoples.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the full moon in January will welcome in the final weeks of the Year of the Ox, while the next New Moon on February 1 will herald in the Year of the Tiger.

The moon also marks the end of the Hindu calendar's Shakambari Navratri festival, which honours the goddess Shakambari, who represents food. Meanwhile, the full moon coincides with the Tamil ethnic group's celebration of Thaipusam, which commemorates the Hindu god of war defeating the monster Soorapadman.

This full moon also passes close to the moon's apogee, the point in its slightly eccentric orbit where it is farthest from Earth. According to NASA, apogee occurred on January 14, 2022, at 4:27 a.m. EST. The moon is around 251,655 miles (405,000 kilometres) from Earth at apogee.

With the passage of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, the days are gradually increasing, but there are still possibilities to see the full moon shine. According to NASA, evening twilight will cease around 6:14 p.m. EST on the day the full moon rises, setting the stage for a stunning moonrise a half-hour later. Near the full moon, the bright star Pollux, which belongs to the constellation Gemini, will be visible.

As twilight ends, skywatchers in North America will be able to view Jupiter over the southwestern horizon, as well as a brief glimpse of Saturn, which will just peek over the horizon to the right of Jupiter for about 15 minutes.