﻿ Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 February 13 [2]A bright full moon is seen in the center of the image. Angular clouds are seen around the edges which make the moon look like it is either in the mouth of the wolf, or the eye of a wolf. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. A January Wolf Moon Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Antoni Zegarski Explanation: Did you see the full moon last month? During every month, on average, a [4]full moon occurs in the skies over [5]planet Earth. This is because [6]the Moon takes a [7]month to complete another orbit around our [8]home planet, goes through all of its [9]phases, and once again has its entire Earth-facing half lit by reflected sunlight. Many [10]indigenous cultures give each full moon a name, and this past full moon's [11]names include the Ice Moon, the Stay at Home Moon, and the Quiet Moon. Occurring in January on the [12]modern western calendar, several cultures have also named the most recent full moon the [13]Wolf Moon, in honor of the [14]famous howling animal. Featured here above the Italian [15]Alps mountains, this past [16]Wolf Moon was captured in combined long and short exposure images. The image is [17]striking because, to some, the surrounding clouds appear as a wolf's mouth ready to swallow the [18]Wolf Moon, while others see the Moon as a wolf's eye. Tomorrow's picture: a field of roses __________________________________________________________________ [19]< | [20]Archive | [21]Submissions | [22]Index | [23]Search | [24]Calendar | [25]RSS | [26]Education | [27]About APOD | [28]Discuss | [29]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [30]Robert Nemiroff ([31]MTU) & [32]Jerry Bonnell ([33]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn; [34]Specific rights apply. [35]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [36]ASD at [37]NASA / [38]GSFC, [39]NASA Science Activation & [40]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2402/WolfMoon_Zegarski_3648.jpg 3. mailto: