The Wolf Moon

January's full moon, and a procession of planets accompanied through the sky

Lune, by Alain Manesson Mallet, 1719

This month’s full moon falls on the 6th January at 11.08pm GMT.

It is thought that January’s full moon was once known as the Wolf Moon, a name that must be very old as there have not been wolves in the UK for hundreds of years, the last wolf having been slain by legendary deerstalker MacQueen of Findhorn in 1743. This name ties in with the Scots Gaelic word for January, Faoilleach, which comes from faol-chu, meaning wolf. This would have been the time of year when wolves were particularly vocal about protecting their territory and would have been out and about and needing to communicate with the other members of their pack. They then fell quieter during the denning season.

Some other old, old names for January’s full moon: the Stay at Home Moon, and the Moon after Yule. Stay at Home Moon is a bit of a mystery to me, but I imagine it’s just logic: festivities are over, we all drank a bit too much mead and ate too much ham, it’s cold and dark, and there are all those wolves out there howling. Best stay in.

And a couple of other cosmic happenings to look out for in the sky this month:

We are just past the peak of the Quadrantids meteor shower but it might still be possible to catch a few trails, however it coinciding with the moon being so full has not made for ideal viewing.

The moon will be making lots of visits to the same part of the sky as the visible planets towards the end of the month, which makes it really easy to spot them. This begins on the night of the 23rd when it will be alongside Venus and Saturn for about an hour after dusk. Then on the 25th it will be alongside Jupiter, again from around dusk but this time until setting at 9.20pm. And then on the 26th it is Mars’ turn to be accompanied through the sky. They will both be high in the sky by around 7.40pm and will not set until the early hours of the following morning. Mars has been bright, high and visible over the last few months but is now dimming, so this is a good time to catch it.

Much of this information comes from The Almanac 2023, my guide to the year ahead in the sky at night, gardening, folklore, nature, food and more.

Wishing you clear skies!