Wolf Moon and Penumbral Eclipse Tonight

Posted 10th Jan 2020

Tonight we shall see the splendid Wolf Moon 🐺 🌕 and penumbral eclipse.

The Wolf moon eclipse kicks off the first of 13 full moons in 2020. This year started off with a meteor shower and continues tonight when the moon moves into Earth's penumbra, or outer shadow. This causes the moon to look darker than normal. Weather permitting, it will be visible across the UK from around 7.21 p.m. this evening and will last for about four hours.

(Note: During a total lunar eclipse, the change is more dramatic because the entire moon appears to be a deep red colour).

Algonquin tribes of the northern and eastern U.S.A named the first full Moon of winter the Wolf Moon, from the packs of wolves that howled amid the deep snows of winter.

Photo source: NASA