The first full moon of 2022 will be the Wolf Moon, expected to grace our skies at 11.48pm on January 17.

This full moon was so named because villagers used to hear packs of wolves howling in hunger around this time of the year. It’s also known as the Old Moon, Ice Moon and Snow Moon, although the latter is usually associated with February’s full moon.

Here we’ve compiled a complete guide to the Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite and the largest and brightest object in our night sky, which has enchanted and inspired mankind for centuries.

From supermoon to blue moon, here’s everything explained in one place.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon, otherwise known as the Wolf Moon, will reach it’s peak on Monday, January 17 at 11.48pm.

How often does a full moon occur?

A full moon occurs every 29.5 days and happens when the Moon is completely illuminated by the Sun’s rays. It occurs when the Earth is directly aligned between the Sun and the Moon. 

While most years see 12 full moons, some years have 13. This means that some months will see two full moons, with the second known as a Blue Moon.

This happened in 2020, when 13 full moons graced our skies, with the two full moons in October, as well as four penumbral lunar eclipses. 

Why do full moons have different names?

The early Native Americans didn’t record time using months of the Julian or Gregorian calendar. Instead tribes gave each full moon a nickname to keep track of the seasons and lunar months.

Most of the names relate to an activity or an event that took place at the time in each location. However, it wasn’t a uniform system and tribes tended to name and count moons differently. Some, for example, counted four seasons a year while others counted five. Others defined a year as 12 moons, while others said there were 13.

Colonial Americans adopted some of the moon names and applied them to their own calendar system which is why they’re still in existence today, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.